OBJECTIVE -Postprandial hyperglycemia is often inadequately assessed in diabetes management. Serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) drops as serum glucose rises above the renal threshold for glucose and has been proposed as a marker for postprandial hyperglycemia. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between 1,5-AG and postprandial hyperglycemia, as assessed by the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in suboptimally controlled patients with diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and an HbA 1c (A1C) between 6.5 and 8% with stable glycemic control were recruited from two sites. A CGMS monitor was worn for two consecutive 72-h periods. Mean glucose, mean postmeal maximum glucose (MPMG), and area under the curve for glucose above 180 mg/dl (AUC-180), were compared with 1,5-AG, fructosamine (FA), and A1C at baseline, day 4, and day 7.RESULTS -1,5-AG varied considerably between patients (6.5 Ϯ 3.2 g/ml [means Ϯ SD]) despite similar A1C (7.3 Ϯ 0.5%). Mean 1,5-AG (r ϭ Ϫ0.45, P ϭ 0.006) correlated with AUC-180 more robustly than A1C (r ϭ 0.33, P ϭ 0.057) or FA (r ϭ 0.38, P ϭ 0.88). MPMG correlated more strongly with 1,5-AG (r ϭ Ϫ0.54, P ϭ 0.004) than with A1C (r ϭ 0.40, P ϭ 0.03) or FA (r ϭ 0.32, P ϭ 0.07).CONCLUSIONS -1,5-AG reflects glycemic excursions, often in the postprandial state, more robustly than A1C or FA. 1,5-AG may be useful as a complementary marker to A1C to assess glycemic control in moderately controlled patients with diabetes. Diabetes Care 29:1214 -1219, 2006T he importance of tight glycemic control in preventing the complications of diabetes has been well documented (1-3). More recently, studies indicate that postprandial glucose may be an independent risk factor for the development of macrovascular complications (4 -6). Many patients who are otherwise well controlled by HbA 1c (A1C), the current standard indicator of overall glycemia, also have significant postprandial hyperglycemia (7). Currently, available markers for measuring glycemic control, including A1C and fructosamine (FA), only reflect average glucose, potentially missing important hyperglycemic excursions that may be balanced out by hypoglycemia. Therefore, an alternative marker that robustly reflects postprandial glucose excursions could be useful in the management of patients with diabetes.Plasma 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) is a naturally occurring dietary polyol that has been proposed as a marker for postprandial hyperglycemia. An automated assay (Glycomark) has recently been approved in the U.S. as a short-term marker for glycemic control (8), and a similar assay has been in use in Japan for over a decade (9). During normoglycemia, 1,5-AG is maintained at constant steadystate levels due to a large body pool compared with the amount of intake (10) and due to a lack of metabolism (10,11). Normally, in the kidneys, 1,5-AG is filtered and completely reabsorbed (12). However, with elevated serum glucose concentrations (generally Ͼ180 mol/l, the average renal threshold fo...

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000620.

OBJECTIVEOptimizing glycemic control in type 1 diabetes is important to minimize the risk of complications. We used the large T1D Exchange clinic registry database to identify characteristics and diabetes management techniques in adults with type 1 diabetes, differentiating those under excellent glycemic control from those with poorer control.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThe cross-sectional analysis included 627 participants with HbA1c <6.5% (excellent control) and 1,267 with HbA1c ≥8.5% (fair/poor control) at enrollment who were ≥26 years of age (mean ± SD 45.9 ± 13.2 years), were not using continuous glucose monitoring, and had type 1 diabetes for ≥2 years (22.8 ± 13.0 years).RESULTSCompared with the fair/poor control group, participants in the excellent control group had higher socioeconomic status, were more likely to be older and married, were less likely to be overweight, were more likely to exercise frequently, and had lower total daily insulin dose per kilogram (P < 0.0001 for each). Excellent control was associated with more frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), giving mealtime boluses before a meal rather than at the time of or after a meal, performing SMBG before giving a bolus, and missing an insulin dose less frequently (P < 0.0001 for each). Frequency of severe hypoglycemia was similar between groups, whereas diabetic ketoacidosis was more common in the fair/poor control group.CONCLUSIONSDiabetes self-management related to insulin delivery, glucose monitoring, and lifestyle tends to differ among adults with type 1 diabetes under excellent control compared with those under poorer control. Future studies should focus on modifying diabetes management skills in adult type 1 diabetes patients with suboptimal glycemic control.

Insulin pump use can improve diabetes management for adults and children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) by improving glycemic control, decreasing severe hypoglycemia episodes, and improving quality of life. 1-13 In 1 meta-analysis, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and quality of life were improved in adults with T1D using pumps compared to multiple daily injections. 14,15 In this study, described in an AHRQ technical report as well as a separate scientific report, the effects on glycemic control were more equivocal in children and adolescents, but there was a greater improvement in glycemic control in those with higher HbA1c. 14,15 Despite the potential benefits of insulin pumps, a small but significant proportion of pump users discontinue pump use over time. 12,16-22 In prior studies, factors associated with pump discontinuation in adolescents and young adults included shorter duration of pump use, age (highest discontinuation rates in adolescents 10-15 years of age), gender (higher discontinuation rates in females), and overall well-being (higher discontinuation rates among individuals with 663963D STXXX10.

Future studies need to focus on how to prevent hypoglycemia in this vulnerable population of older adults with long-standing T1D.