Continuous glucose monitoring is extremely beneficial for people with type 1 diabetes, new evidence identifies

Continuous glucose monitoring is more effective for maintaining glycaemic control amongst people with type 1 diabetes than self-monitoring blood glucose levels with injections, latest research suggests.

According to the findings, individuals with type 1 diabetes with HbA1c >64 mmol/mol (>8%) are more likely to benefit from continuous glucose monitors than traditional testing techniques.

During the study, the team of researchers examined more than 2,000 people with type 1 diabetes who used both continuous glucose monitors and daily injections to assess which technique was more effective in reducing HbA1c levels and preventing severe hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

They found that continuous glucose monitoring significantly decreased HbA1c levels compared to daily injections (mean difference −2.46 mmol/mol [−0.23%] [95% CI −3.83, −1.08], Z = 3.50, p=0.0005).

However, the findings have shown that continuous glucose monitoring had no influence on the number of severe hypoglycaemia (p=0.13) and DKA events (p=0.88).

The report states: “Future research should evaluate the accuracy of continuous glucose monitoring and the effectiveness of it across different age groups and insulin regimens as these remain unclear in this paper.”

To access the study, click here.

Photo by AndreyPopov