In a recent, retrospective, cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes with severe hypoglycemia, high-risk patient characteristics were identified. For example, patients with severe hypoglycemia had previous non-severe hypoglycemia diagnoses more frequently than those without. Therefore, identifying patients at high risk at the point of care can allow for change in modifiable risk factors and prevention of severe hypoglycemia events. From January 2006 to December 2015, researchers used electronic medical records in the Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS). Participants included 50,439 patients with type 2 diabetes receiving care in the CCHS. Number of severe hypoglycemia events and associated patient characteristics were identified. They found:

• The incidence proportion of severe hypoglycemia increased from 0.12% in 2006 to 0.31% in 2015.
• Compared with patients who did not experience severe hypoglycemia, those with severe hypoglycemia had similar median glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
• More patients with severe hypoglycemia vs those without had a prior diagnosis of non-severe hypoglycemia (9% vs 2%).