Introduction:

Inadvertent hypoglycemia is defined as a decreased ability to perceive symptoms of hypoglycemia with glucose values below 70 mg/dL. One of the most widely used methods to measure the perception of inadvertent hypoglycemia is the Clarke questionnaire.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of perception of inadvertent hypoglycemia in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin users, who undergo check-ups at the Central Police Hospital Rigoberto Caballero, Asuncion, Paraguay, during June 2024.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective, non-probabilistic convenience sampling study was carried out. The accessible population corresponded to male and female patients over 40 years of age, carriers of type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin users, who underwent check-ups at the aforementioned center. Data recruitment was carried out using a questionnaire developed by the authors, which includes the Clarke questionnaire and other variables of interest.

Results:

among the 42 patients studied, 7 (16.6%) presented inadvertent hypoglycemia based on Clarke questionnaire. A total of 85.7% of the patients affirmed that they were hypoglycemic, and 85.7% of the patients reported always having symptoms when hypoglycemia was detected. The mean age was 62 ± 11 years, 54.76% were male, and 54.76% were from the Central Department. The types of insulin used were: U300 glargine 35 patients (83.33%), detemir 2 patients (4.76%), and NPH 5 patients (11.90%).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of perception of inadvertent hypoglycemia determined by Clarke's questionnaire in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was 16.66%.

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