Steady glucose displays are not only for folks with diabetes. In March of final 12 months, DexCom gained FDA clearance for its over-the-counter CGM, after which a few months later, its fundamental competitor Abbott earned clearance for 2 over-the-counter CGM gadgets of its personal.
The FDA cleared these over-the-counter CGMs to be used in folks with and with out diabetes, however questions nonetheless stay about how clinicians and people can interpret the info that these gadgets acquire. To discover what CGM information actually means outdoors of diabetes care, researchers at Mass General Brigham in Boston performed a examine. The results, printed this week, discovered that CGM readings align effectively with customary measures in folks with diabetes however are much less dependable in these with out the situation.
The examine examined information from 972 folks ages 40 and older. Inside this group, 421 folks had sort 2 diabetes, 319 had prediabetes, and 232 had regular blood sugar ranges.
The researchers discovered that whereas CGM metrics like common glucose and time in vary intently matched customary measures for folks with diabetes, these similar metrics have been much less constant for these with prediabetes or regular blood sugar.
These findings recommend that CGMs could also be most helpful for monitoring short-term way of life results relatively than offering a definitive scientific image, stated Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, an inner medication doctor at Mass Basic Brigham and one of many examine’s authors.
He famous that CGMs may also help folks see how way of life elements similar to food regimen, exercise and sleep have an effect on glucose in actual time.
Dr. Rodriguez stated he has witnessed this firsthand, having worn an over-the-counter CGM himself and by no means having been identified with diabetes or prediabetes.
“There was sooner or later once I ate a soup. I assumed I used to be being wholesome by having a soup. Then it seems the soup had rice noodles. I didn’t know these rice noodles have been simply going to drive my sugar up — and it was up for fairly a while. For some purpose, I didn’t register that this was not an amazing factor to eat from a glycemic standpoint. That was a studying level for me,” he defined.
He identified that additional analysis is required into consumer-oriented CGMs.
Mass Basic Brigham’s examine was cross-sectional, which means that the analysis group gathered information from members at a single cut-off date relatively than following them over months or years. Dr. Rodriguez stated clinicians want extra longitudinal analysis earlier than they perceive if CGM patterns in non-diabetic sufferers can predict long-term outcomes like diabetes, coronary heart illness, or stroke.
Photograph: Yana Iskayeva, Getty Photos
