ATTENTION-T2D

Type 2 diabetes affects more than 60 million people in Europe and one in ten adults living in Austria. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. In parallel, persons with type 2 diabetes are very frequently affected by other cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and overweight or obesity. As a consequence, people with type 2 diabetes display markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, fatty liver disease, diseases of the nervous system, specific malignancies and dementia resulting in reductions in quality of life and also life expectancy. A healthy lifestyle encompassing mediterranean diet, regular physical activity, nicotine abstinence and normal weight is not only a very effective preventive measure but also pivotal in type 2 diabetes treatment. Beneficial effects of lifestyle measures on the course of disease including cardiovascular disease have been demonstrated in several studies. Accordingly, dietary counseling and information on lifestyle intervention are key elements in diabetes education and self-management trainings in patients with newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, implementation and especially sustainability of lifestyle measure remain difficult in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether continuous glucose monitoring for a predefined period can help to implement sustainable lifestyle measures. For continuous glucose monitoring a medical device automatically tracks glucose levels throughout the day and night by using a small sensor inserted under the skin. Real time glucose data obtained from these sensors allow to learn about effects of different foods on glucose levels aiming to avoid metabolically harmful food in the future. The latter might have favorable effects not only on diabetes treatment but also support weight reduction in overweight or obese patients. Additionally, real time glucose monitoring will help to understand beneficial metabolic effects of physical exercise which might further increase motivation for lifestyle measures in affected patients. To conclude, data from this study will help to evaluate continuous glucose monitoring in supporting sustainable lifestyle measures in patients with early type 2 diabetes. This might help to reduce the risk of diabetes-associated morbidities and maintain quality of life in people with type 2 diabetes. The study will be performed within the ERA4Health framework at sites in Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Lativa and Lithuania.