Prevention of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes

peer reviewedHypoglycaemia is the most common metabolic disorder in type 1 diabetic patients. It is rarely dangerous, but significantly alters the quality of life and hinders the achievement of "normoglycaemia". Even if hypoglycaemia is impossible to be avoided, both its frequency and severity may be reduced if patients follow several practical recommendations. After having defined hypoglycaemia, we shall briefly describe its pathophysiology and its main causes in type 1 diabetic patients. Afterwards, the different approaches of prevention of hypoglycaemia will be discussed. We will particularly stress the need to revise the glycaemic target in high-risk patients, the role of optimising insulin therapy, the valuable help of blood glucose monitoring, the critical support of diet adjustments, and the appropriate management in case of physical activity. There is no doubt that patient's education plays a crucial role in such a strategy that aims at preventing severe hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetic individuals