Flash Glucose Monitoring in Type 2 Diabetes Managed with Basal Insulin in the USA
April 15, 2022
A variety of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technologies have been developed to help type 2 diabetes patients manage their glucose levels. However, it is believed that the benefit of CGM use for patients who follow a strict basal insulin schedule is limited.
A team of researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the impact on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a key clinical marker of glycemic management, after the introduction of flash glucose monitoring use in type 2 diabetes managed with basal insulin.
Contributing to this study was Esra Karslioglu French, MD, MBA, ECNU, from the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
100 medical records from eight diabetes centers across the U.S. were observed. Data was extracted for adult individuals with type 2 diabetes who had been using basal insulin for one year or more, had an HbA1c measurement between 8.0 to12.0% 90 days before device use began, and either did or did not receive additional oral antihyperglycemic medication and non-insulin injection therapy.
The change in HbA1c was observed by comparing the initial HbA1c measurement from the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System with a follow-up HbA1c measurement taken between 90 to 194 days after device use began.
Additional data for a meta-analysis came from a retrospective review study that evaluated 191 medical records from both U.S. and Canada study sites.
Results from both the retrospective U.S. study and the meta-analysis cohort showed that HbA1c significantly reduced in both groups three to six months after beginning flash glucose monitoring technology use in type 2 diabetes patients treated with basal insulin.
Specifically, HbA1c improvement was observed in both groups by age, body mass index, duration of insulin use, and sex at birth. It should be noted that over half of the participants had a final HbA1c of less than 8.0%.
Ultimately, this finding may suggest that the use of CGM in type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin has the potential to be a valuable tool to support the improvement of glucose control.
Read the full study here.
