IMPAIRED AWARENESS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA (IAH) IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Aims: The current study aimed to identify the prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Also, it aimed to determine the risk factors for IAH. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study that was conducted through a survey that targeted patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted from July 10th. 2020 to October 10th. 2020. Results: The authors got responses from 1080 patients. The mean age was 55.5 years and the mean duration of DM was 11 years. Three hundred and sixty (33.3%) responders stated that they developed symptoms of hypoglycemia, of them, 60 (16.7%) patients developed symptoms weekly, and 60 (16.7%) patients developed symptoms twice weekly.The prevalence of IAH in the sample was 14.8 % (Gold method), and 20%(Pearson method). Our results showed that the prevalence of IAH was higher among patients who were over 65 years of age, female gender, who had DM for over 15 years, and those who did not attend schools. Conclusion: The problem of IAH is a significant disorder in diabetic patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The current study showed that the prevalence of IAH was ranging from 14.8% to 20%.