PracticeUpdate: Conference Series | ADC 2018

National Diabetes Registry to Analyze Clinical Benefits of Subsidized CGM Research highlights the role of ADDN as a key resource to help track and improve diabetes care in the long term. BY THE PRACTICEUPDATE EDITORIAL TEAM

T he Australasian Diabetes Data Network (ADDN) is planning to ana- lyze the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices in helping children and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to better manage their blood glucose levels and reduce the incidences of hypoglycemia. The Australian government currently pro- vides access to subsidized CGM through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) to assist children and young adults under the age of 21 who face difficulty in managing their T1D. According to ADDN Principal Investigator Peter Colman, MBBS, FRACP, MD, while the NDSS collects usage information, it does not track clinical outcomes associ- ated with the use of CGM. “This is a unique opportunity to connect ADDN and NDSS datasets to look at individuals who have received CGM via the subsidy and to evaluate their usage and clinical outcomes. It’s something that we’re really excited about,” said Dr. Colman, who is an Endocrinologist

in the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. “We know anecdotally that our younger patients like using CGM, that they are comfortable with it, but what we don’t know are the effects of continuous mon- itoring on these patients’ blood glucose control and whether it helps lower the incidences of hypoglycemia. “What we would also like to find out is whether CGM benefits certain groups of patients more than others. And that is an example of how data in ADDN can help us focus on tailoring different types of treatment to different groups of patients with type 1 diabetes.” Dr. Colman said information from ADDN pediatric data collection centers are now providing a snapshot profile of the chil- dren and young adults who have received subsidized CGM. The ADDN is a prospective, longitudinal diabetes database established in 2012 by the Australasian Paediatric Endocrinology Group with funding from the Juvenile

Other highlights of the meeting include Professor Sultan Linjawi’s presentation on the role of technology in the management of type 2 diabetes, Professor TimDavis who showed evidence for the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in type 1 diabetes, and Professor Alex Brown’s session on improving health outcomes in Indigenous communities. It is clear that this year's annual scientific meeting addressed topics that were relevant to researchers and clinicians in diabetes. Diabetes Research Foundation with the aim of improving patient-centered research. The first phase of ADDN col- lected clinical data from children and adolescents attending pediatric diabetes centers across the country. In 2015, with support from the Australian Diabetes Society, ADDN expanded to include data from adult diabetes centers, further enhancing capacity to follow young patients as they transition from pediatric services to adult care. The ADDN registry currently has data for over 10,000 patients from 13 diabetes centers across Australia and New Zealand, with the aim of increasing this number to 14,000 patients by the end of 2018. The registry also plans to include more participating centers and to build on national and international collaborations. Major projects currently underway that

Australasian Diabetes Congress 2018 Highlights By SOF ANDRIKOPOULOS, PhD, CEO of the Australian Diabetes Society, LOUISE MAPLE-BROWN, PhD, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin & JOSEPHINE FORBES, PhD, Mater Research Institute–The University of Queensland, Brisbane. T he Australian Diabetes Congress 2018 saw over 1400 delegates from Australia and New Zealand, as well Stephanie Amiel, who discussed the role of the brain in hypoglycemia; and Professor Peter Tontonoz, who presented on lipid metabolism and its effects on glu- cose metabolism.

as 50 endocrinologists from China, attend and participate in an excellent program that covered many topics pertinent to understanding the cause and better man- agement of diabetes. Key presentations from international ple- nary speakers included that by Professor Jeremy Grimshaw, who discussed healthcare systems and implementation of systematic reviews to improve care for people with diabetes; Professor

Other significant presentations were by the Kellion Award recipient Professor Jonathan Shaw, who discussed the role of epidemiology in diabetes, and the Ranji and Amara Wikramanayake Clinical Diabetes Research Award recipient Associate Professor Barbora de Courten, who presented on the role of supple- ments in the management of diabetes.

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PRACTICEUPDATE CONFERENCE SERIES • ADC 2018