Abstract
In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), insulin-producing beta-cells of the pancreas are being destroyed, resulting in excessive glucose levels and permanent need of insulin therapy. Living with T1DM is challenging. It requires intensive monitoring of glycaemia and titration of insulin in order to obtain near-normal glycaemia to reduce the risk of complications. More and more people with T1DM are being treated with insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors. CGM improves metabolic control and quality of life and decreases hypoglycaemia. However, currently available CGM devices also have shortcomings. They do not warn about impending ketoacidosis and do not provide information on lactate levels which can be produced during intensive exercise. Adding lactate and ketones to the equation will provide additional information on glucose fluctuations. There is an urgent need for a patient-tailored multi-biomarker device to protect against hypoglycaemia or ketoacidosis, to improve quality of life and to increase the possibilities to exercise freely. The latter is important as people with T1DM often do not perform exercise because of fear of hypoglycaemia. The main research question of this project is to evaluate the added value of measuring other biomarkers (ketones, lactate) besides glucose, in people with T1DM in daily life, but also while performing different types of exercise (anaerobic, aerobic). This will result in better algorithms to improve glycaemic control.
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