Continuous glucose monitoring

Abstract

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) has the potential to revolutionise the care and treatment of individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). During the past three years, several devices to measure the interstitial fluid intermittently or continuously have been developed and approved as an adjunct to blood glucose monitoring for use in individuals with T1D. Original studies using these earlier devices showed promise in lowering HbA1c in selected individuals with suboptimal control (1). The first randomised controlled trial with a subcutaneous continuous sensor demonstrated a significant decrease in HbA1c in adult and paediatric patients with poor metabolic control using the RT-CGM device continuously for 3 months compared with the self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) control group (2). Recent randomised controlled trials clearly demonstrated that RT-CGM can significantly reduce HbA1c. Additionally, retrospective use of CGM data can positively affect metabolic control in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.