Relationships of hypoglycemia awareness, hypoglycemia beliefs, and continuous glucose monitoring glycemic profiles with anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with type 1 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring systems

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate relationships of hypoglycemia awareness, hypoglycemia beliefs, and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) glycemic profiles with anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who use CGM.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey and data collections were completed with 196 T1D adults who used CGM (59% also used automated insulin delivery devices (AIDs)). We assessed hypoglycemia awareness (Gold instrument), hypoglycemia beliefs (Attitudes to Awareness of Hypoglycemia instrument), CGM glycemic profiles, demographics, and anxiety and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Analysis included simple and multiple linear regression analyses.

Results: Lower hypoglycemia awareness, weaker "hypoglycemia concerns minimized" beliefs, stronger "hyperglycemia avoidance prioritized" beliefs were independently associated with higher anxiety symptoms (P < 0.05), with similar trends in both subgroups using and not using AIDs. Lower hypoglycemia awareness were independently associated with greater depression symptoms (P < 0.05). In participants not using AIDs, more time in hypoglycemia was related to less anxiety and depression symptoms (P < 0.05). Being female and younger were independently associated with higher anxiety symptoms, while being younger was also independently associated with greater depression symptoms (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our findings revealed relationships of impaired hypoglycemia awareness, hypoglycemia beliefs, CGM-detected hypoglycemia with anxiety and depression symptoms in T1D adults who use CGMs.

Keywords: Anxiety; Continuous glucose monitoring; Depression; Hypoglycemia; Type 1 diabetes.