Following type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis, declining C-peptide levels reflect deteriorating β cell function. However, the precise C-peptide levels that indicate protection from severe hypoglycemia remain unknown. In this issue of the JCI, Gubitosi-Klug et al. studied participants from the landmark and ongoing Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study that had long-standing (about 35 years) T1D. The authors correlated severe hypoglycemia and other disease outcomes with residual C-peptide levels. While C-peptide secretion failed to associate with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or microvascular complications, C-peptide levels greater than 0.03 nmol/L were linked with fewer episodes of severe hypoglycemia. These findings suggest that efforts to preserve finite β cell function early in T1D can have meaningful, long-standing health benefits for patients.
Anna Lam, Colin Dayan, Kevan C. Herold
The Editorial Board will only consider comments that are deemed relevant and of interest to readers. The Journal will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review; or a comment that is essentially a reiteration of another comment.