Cardiovascular Effects of Rapidly Declining Plasma Glucose in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Summary

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune metabolic disease characterised by impaired lack of endogenous insulin causing elevated plasma glucose levels and increased risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications. With respect to the cardiovascular system, patients with T1D have an up to 10-fold increased risk of sudden cardiac death compared to healthy individuals. Furthermore, diabetes constitutes a hypercoagulable state, which to some extent may explain why cardiovascular disease still is a major cause of mortality in patients with T1D. Due to treatment with exogenously delivered insulin, glycaemic variability with intra-day and inter-day plasma glucose concentrations fluctuating between high levels (peaks) and low levels (nadirs), are inevitable in patients with T1D. A potentially important factor in development of cardiovascular disease, associated with glycaemic variability, is the rate of increase and/or decline of plasma glucose. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that a rapid plasma glucose decline from a hyperglycaemic level to an euglycaemic level can induce changes in QT-interval and blood coagulation in a proarrhythmogenic and prothrombotic way.

Twenty patients with T1D with a 1:1 distribution with chronic hyperglycaemia (HbA1C ≥63 mmol/mol) and with well-controlled diabetes (HbA1C ≤53 mmol/mol) will be recruited for a crossover study including two test days (protocols), P-rapid, a combined hyperglycaemic and euglycaemic clamp with rapidly declining plasma glucose and P-slow, a combined hyperglycaemic and euglycaemic clamp with slowly declining plasma glucose. Patients will be randomised 1:1 to start with P-rapid or P-slow. The cardiovascular effects will be investigated using Holter-ECG, Thrombelastography, Echocardiography and blood sampling.

Given that cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in patients with T1D and that patients with diabetes may be more susceptible for cardiac arrhythmias and thrombotic events compared to healthy individuals, it is important to identify cardiovascular risk factors related to acute changes in plasma glucose in order to improve prevention strategies and therapy.

Conditions

• Type 1 Diabetes

Interventions

OTHER

Rapidly declining plasma glucose

Acute plasma glucose decline, divided into the following three phases: 1) Hyperglycaemic phase (plasma glucose 15 mmol/l), 2) Rapid plasma glucose decline phase and 3) Euglycaemic phase (plasma glucose 4.5-5.5 mmol/l).

OTHER

Slowly declining plasma glucose

Acute plasma glucose decline, divided into the following three phases: 1) Hyperglycaemic phase (plasma glucose 15 mmol/l), 2) Slow plasma glucose decline phase and 3) Euglycaemic phase (plasma glucose 4.5-5.5 mmol/l).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Gentofte, Copenhagen

  collaborator OTHER

• Rigshospitalet, Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-06-01

Primary Completion

2021-12-16

Completion

2023-04-01

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations