Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a promising tool supporting people with diabetes in improving glycemic control without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. Recent meta-analysis suggests that CGM use reduces the duration of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic phases, whereas the time spent in euglycemia is prolonged.1,2 Thus, CGM promises to facilitate the avoidance of hypoglycemic glucose levels while improving overall glycemic control. The beneficial impact of CGM on avoiding high glucose values was not only demonstrated by glucose measurements of the CGM system itself, but also by the reduction of HbA1c.3,4 This is corroborated by recent studies and meta-analyses of studies that used early generation devices showing that overall glycemic control could be improved. 2,[5][6][7] In the meta-analysis, reductions between 0.2 and 0.7 A1c percentage points were observed due to the use of CGM. 1,2 Furthermore there are also meta-analytic findings that the exposure to hypoglycemia could be reduced.1 However, the avoidance of severe hypoglycemia as a clinical endpoint by means of CGM could not be demonstrated.1,2 In contrast to the outcomes concerning the reduction of hyperglycemia, which could be corroborated by independent measures (eg, A1c) or episodes of ketoacidosis, 1,2 the results regarding minimizing hypoglycemia relied only on the CGM measurements themselves. This is problematic since it is known that the results of CGM of early generation CGM systems in the hypoglycemic range are less concordant with laboratory or point of care (POC) measurements than the results of CGM in the eu-or hyperglycemic range. In the low glycemic range, 524105D STXXX10.1177/1932296814524105Journal of Diabetes Science and TechnologyHermanns et al
AbstractIn a randomized crossover trial the impact of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was tested on the occurrence of low blood glucose values measured by point of care (POC) measurement and on low glucose values measured by CGM in the interstitial fluid. A total of 41 type 1 diabetic patients (age 42.0 ± 11.4 years, diabetes duration 15.3 ± 10.1 years, A1c 8.2 ± 1.4%) used a CGM system (Dexcom SEVEN PLUS system) twice. In first study phase (CGM blind), patients were blind regarding the CGM current glucose levels and were not alerted when critical glucose values were reached. In the second phase (CGM real time), patients had access to current glucose levels and were alerted if critical glucose values were reached. During CGM real time the proportion of hypoglycemic POC blood glucose values were significantly reduced (7.5 ± 5.6% vs 10.1 ± 7.5%; P = .04), whereas the proportion of euglycemic blood glucose values were significantly enhanced (73.7 ± 18.3% vs 68.3 ± 12.1%; P = .01). The duration of low glucose periods in the interstitial fluid was significantly lower in the CGM real time phase (125 ± 89 vs 181 ± 125 minutes per day; P = .005). The time until a low blood glucose was detected by POC measurement was shortened by 33.2 ± 76.1 minutes (P = .03). The study demonstrated that CGM is ...