Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: The study aimed to determine the incidence of hypoglycemic episodes in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and assess risk factors for these episodes.
Background: Recent evidence suggests that Parkinson’s disease (PD) and glucose metabolism disorders may share some common dysregulation pathways. It has been hypothesized that mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammatory processes, and metabolic changes may lead to insulin resistance and further diabetes and neurodegeneration. However, the clinical significance of this relationship is not fully understood.
Method: Thirty-five patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and twenty control subjects matched in terms of gender, age, and biometric data underwent a study consisting of a clinical and biometric assessment and two weeks of continuous glucose monitoring using the Freestyle Libre system to detect episodic hypoglycemia.
Results: Among PD patients, 18 (51.4%) had episodes of hypoglycemia; a total of 127 episodes of hypoglycemia were recorded with a mean duration of 10.34 min, and 64.6% of the events occurred between 0:00 and 6:00 am. Compared to the control group, there were no more patients with hypoglycemic episodes (51.4% vs. 33.3%; p=0.3385); however, there were significantly more hypoglycemic episodes registered in PD patients (3.8/pts vs. 1.4/pts; p=0.0006). Predictors of the occurrence of hypoglycemic episodes in the PD group were lower two-week average glycemic levels (OR -0.25, 95% CI -0.46 to 0.05; p=0.016), glycemic variability index (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.85; p=0.02), and SCOPA-AUT scale score (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.09 to 0.248; p=0.04).
Conclusion: Patients with Parkinson’s disease are at higher risk of hypoglycemic episodes, especially at night and in the morning. Patients with autonomic dysfunction are at risk for hypoglycemic episodes.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
T. Chmiela, A. Gorzkowska. Episodes of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease – Results of Two-Week Continuous Glucose Monitoring [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2024; 39 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/episodes-of-hypoglycemia-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-results-of-two-week-continuous-glucose-monitoring/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2024 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/episodes-of-hypoglycemia-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-results-of-two-week-continuous-glucose-monitoring/