Important Drop Rate of Acute Diabetes Complications in People With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes After Initiation of Flash Glucose Monitoring in France: The RELIEF Study
<b>Objective</b> <p>The RELIEF study assessed rates of hospitalization for acute diabetes complications in France, before and after initiating the FreeStyle Libre system. </p> <p><b>Research Design and Methods</b></p> <p>74,011 patients with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes who initiated the FreeStyle Libre system were identified from the French national claim database (SNDS) using ICD-10 codes, from hospitalizations with diabetes as a contributing diagnosis, or the prescription of insulin. Patients were sub-classified based on SMBG strip-acquisition prior to starting FreeStyle Libre. Hospitalizations for DKA, severe hypoglycemia, diabetes-related coma and hyperglycemia were recorded for the 12 months before and after initiation. </p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>Hospitalizations for acute diabetes complications fell in type 1 diabetes (-49.0%) and in type 2 diabetes (-39.4%) following FreeStyle Libre initiation. DKA fell in type 1 diabetes (-56.2%,) and in type 2 diabetes (-52.1%), as did diabetes-related comas in type 1 diabetes (-39.6%) and in type 2 diabetes (-31.9%). Hospitalizations for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia decreased in type 2 diabetes (-10.8% and -26.5%, respectively). Before initiation, hospitalizations were most marked for people non-compliant with SMBG and for those with highest acquisition of SMBG, which fell by -54.0% and 51.2% respectively following FreeStyle Libre initiation. Persistence with FreeStyle Libre at 12 months was 98.1%.</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b></p> <p>This large retrospective study on hospitalizations for acute diabetes complication shows that a significantly lower incidence of admissions for DKA and for diabetes-related coma is associated with use of flash glucose monitoring. This study has significant implications for patient-centered diabetes care and potentially for long-term health economic outcomes.</p> <br> <p> </p>