Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring compared with blood glucose monitoring is associated with lower HbA1c and a reduced risk of hospitalisation for diabetes-related complications in adults with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapies

2024

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Reduces Hospitalizations in Type 2 Diabetes

Sample size: 6800 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Nathanson David, Eeg-Olofsson Katarina, Spelman Tim, Bülow Erik, Kyhlstedt Mattias, Levrat-Guillen Fleur, Bolinder Jan

Primary Institution: Karolinska Institute

Hypothesis

The study assesses the impact of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) compared to blood glucose monitoring (BGM) on HbA1c levels and hospitalizations for diabetes-related complications in adults with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapies.

Conclusion

Swedish adults with type 2 diabetes on insulin who use isCGM have significantly lower HbA1c levels and fewer hospital admissions for diabetes-related complications compared to those using BGM.

Supporting Evidence

IsCGM users had a baseline-adjusted difference in HbA1c reduction of −3.7 mmol/mol (−0.34%) at 6 months.
IsCGM users had a significantly lower risk of hospital admission for severe hypoglycaemia (RR 0.51).
IsCGM users showed a reduced risk of hospitalisation for stroke (RR 0.54) and acute non-fatal myocardial infarction (RR 0.75).
Hospitalisation for any reason was reduced by 29% in isCGM users compared to BGM users.

Takeaway

Using a special glucose monitor helps people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels lower and stay out of the hospital.

Methodology

This retrospective comparative cohort study included adults with type 2 diabetes who had a National Diabetes Register initiation date for isCGM after 1 June 2017, comparing them with BGM control participants.