Improved Health-Related Quality of Life in a Phase 3 Islet Transplantation Trial in Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Severe Hypoglycemia

OBJECTIVE Attaining glycemic targets without severe hypoglycemic events (SHEs) is a challenging treatment goal for patients with type 1 diabetes complicated by impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH). The CIT Consortium Protocol 07 (CIT-07) trial showed islet transplantation to be an effective treatment for subjects with IAH and intractable SHEs. We evaluated health-related quality of life (HRQOL), functional health status, and health utility before and after pancreatic islet transplantation in CIT-07 trial participants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Four surveys, the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), the Hypoglycemic Fear Survey (HFS), the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and the EuroQoL 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), were administered repeatedly before and after islet transplantation. Summary statistics and longitudinal modeling were used to describe changes in survey scores from baseline and to characterize change in relation to a minimally important difference (MID) threshold of half an SD. RESULTS Improvements in condition-specific HRQOL met the MID threshold. Reductions from baseline in the DDS total score and its four DDS subscales (all P ≤ 0.0013) and in the HFS total score and its two subscales (all P < 0.0001) were observed across all time points. Improvements were observed after both 1 and 2 years for the EQ-5D visual analog scale (both P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS In CIT-07, 87.5% of the subjects achieved the primary end point of freedom from SHE along with glycemic control (HbA1c <7% [<53 mmol/mol]) at 1 year post–initial islet transplantation. The same subjects reported consistent, statistically significant, and clinically meaningful improvements in condition-specific HRQOL as well as self-assessments of overall health.