NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Continuously available information on blood glucose levels provided by a subcutaneously implanted sensor significantly decreases periods of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes, physicians report in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
Although intensive diabetes management is associated with improved outcomes, it is also linked to increases in the number of hypoglycemic episodes, Dr. Satish K. Garg, at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, and associates note. They theorized that real-time continuous glucose readings would increase time spent in euglycemia.
For their study, DexCom glucose sensors (San Diego, California) were implanted into subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen of 15 patients with type 1 diabetes.
The devices are comprised of a sensor about the size of an AA battery that transmits radio signals to a pager-sized receiver. Glucose levels are determined every 30 seconds, and data are transmitted to the receiver every 5 minutes. Vibratory and auditory alarms go off when glucose levels are too high or too low.
During a blinded study period of approximately 50 days, blood glucose levels were stored in the receiver, but were not made available to physicians or patients. During the second unblinded period, averaging 44 days, the receiver displays were activated. Patients were requested to monitor their blood glucose levels at least twice daily with a traditional self-monitoring device and whenever an alarm sounded.
During the unblinded period, patients spent on average 47% less time per day in the hypoglycemic range and 25% less time in the hyperglycemic range, even though patients were instructed not to make therapeutic adjustments based on sensor data.
Dr. Garg’s group suggests that infrequent self-monitored blood glucose measurements fail to provide patients with enough information to avoid hypoglycemia. They suggest that, by decreasing glucose excursions, continuous glucose readings may improve quality of life and reduce the complications of diabetes.
Source: Diabetes Care 2004;27:734-738. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Blood Chemical Analysis: Diagnosis: Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine: Laboratory Techniques and Procedures: Monitoring, Physiologic: Self Care: Therapeutics: Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring: Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures: Clinical Chemistry Tests: Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and EquipmentCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.