Small study probes hidden heart risks of low blood sugar
NCT ID NCT03422471
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at how low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) affects the body's ability to control heart rate in people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Fourteen adults underwent two sessions of low blood sugar while their heart rate regulation was measured. The goal was to understand the link between hypoglycemia and autonomic nervous system function, not to test a new treatment.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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14 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2017
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Males and females age 18 to 55 years * Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus controlled by diet, exercise and non-insulin glycemic control agents (metformin, thiazolidinediones, sulfonylureas, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) or basal insulin at doses less than or equal to 0.3 units/ kg per day. Exclusion Criteria: * Hemoglobin A1c \> 9% for type 2 diabetes * Recurrent hypoglycemic episodes within the past month * BMI \< 25 or \> 42 (Type 2 diabetes only) * Pregnancy * Lactation * Clinically significant coronary artery, cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular disease, or presence of systemic illness that might affect autonomic function. Such illnesses include congestive heart failure, renal, pulmonary, hepatic disease, anemia, malignancies, untreated thyroid disease, and alcoholism. * Current major depressive illness * In all subjects, any individuals on oral, injected, inhaled or topical corticosteroids within the last year or oral contraceptives within the past 3 months will be excluded. * Known hypersensitivity to nitroglycerin, nitroprusside and/or phenylephrine. * Blood pressure \> 160/100 mmHg (applies to participants with T2 diabetes) * Creatinine \> 1.5 mg/dL * Serum potassium \>5.2 mmol/L * Estimated GFR \< 50 mL/min * Use of Viagra, Cialis, and similar drugs within 72 hours of admission. * Use of beta-blockers or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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