Effect of short‐term use of dapagliflozin on impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in people with type 1 diabetes

AIM: Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) affects about 25% of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). IAH can be reversed by strict avoidance of hypoglycaemia for at least 3 weeks. Adjunctive treatment with sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors may reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia through reduction of glucose variability. We tested the hypothesis that short‐term use of dapagliflozin may improve awareness of hypoglycaemia in people with T1DM and IAH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with T1DM and IAH were included in this randomized double‐blind, placebo‐controlled cross‐over trial (age 49.7 ± 14.6 years, 40% men, disease duration 24.1 ± 14.2 years, glycated haemoglobin 7.5 ± 0.8% (58.6 ± 8.4 mmol/mol). They were treated with dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily or matching placebo, with a washout period of 2 weeks. At the end of each treatment period, participants underwent a modified hyperinsulinaemic normoglycaemic‐hypoglycaemic glucose clamp (glucose nadir 2.5 mmol/L). Blinded continuous glucose monitors were used in the final treatment weeks. RESULTS: Treatment with dapagliflozin significantly improved glycated haemoglobin [−0.32 ± 0.10 vs. 0.22 ± 0.13% (−4.1 ± 0.9 vs. 2.3 ± 1.4 mmol/mol), dapagliflozin vs. placebo, p = .007] and glucose variability (standard deviation, 2.6 ± 0.2 vs. 3.1 ± 0.3 mmol/L, p = .029), but did not affect the frequency of hypoglycaemia. During the hypoglycaemic clamp, dapagliflozin did not affect symptom responses (8.0 ± 3.4 vs. 5.2 ± 1.6, p = .31), but significantly reduced the need for exogenous glucose to maintain hypoglycaemia (3.2 ± 0.3 vs. 4.1 ± 0.4 mg/kg/min, p = .022). CONCLUSIONS: Eight weeks of treatment with dapagliflozin did not restore hypoglycaemic awareness in people with T1DM and impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia, but ameliorated some clinical aspects.