Effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring in pregnant women with diabetes: randomised clinical trial
2008

Effectiveness of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Pregnant Women with Diabetes

Sample size: 71 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Helen R Murphy, Gerry Rayman, Karen Lewis, Susan Kelly, Balroop Johal, Katherine Duffield, Duncan Fowler, Peter J Campbell, Rosemary C Temple

Primary Institution: Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust

Hypothesis

Does continuous glucose monitoring during pregnancy improve maternal glycaemic control and reduce the risk of macrosomia in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Conclusion

Continuous glucose monitoring during pregnancy is associated with improved glycaemic control in the third trimester, lower birth weight, and reduced risk of macrosomia.

Supporting Evidence

  • Women using continuous glucose monitoring had lower mean HbA1c levels compared to those receiving standard care.
  • Infants of mothers in the intervention group had decreased mean birthweight standard deviation scores.
  • Continuous glucose monitoring was well tolerated by the majority of participants.

Takeaway

Using a special device to check blood sugar levels all the time helps pregnant women with diabetes keep their blood sugar in check and have smaller babies.

Methodology

A prospective, open label randomised controlled trial comparing continuous glucose monitoring with standard antenatal care.

Potential Biases

Health professionals were not blinded to group allocation, which may introduce bias in clinical management.

Limitations

The study had a small sample size and was predominantly conducted with women of white European ethnicity, which may limit generalizability.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 71 women aged 16-45 with type 1 (n=46) and type 2 diabetes (n=25).

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.007

Confidence Interval

0.0 to 1.3

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1136/bmj.a1680

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