Type 1 Diabetes: Is Real-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring Effective?

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) may help reduce hypoglycemic events in patients with type 1 diabetes who receive multiple daily insulin injections, according to new findings.

Researchers arrived at this conclusion following the success of the HypoDE Study, which included 149 German participants with type 1 diabetes and a history of impaired hypoglycemia awareness or severe hypoglycemia within the previous year.  The study took place from March 4, 2016, to January 12, 2017.

All participants used a masked rtCGM system for 28 days and were subsequently randomly assigned to either 26 weeks of unmasked rtCGM with the Dexcom G5 Mobile system (n = 75) or to the control group (n = 74), which involved continued self-monitoring of blood glucose. Controls also wore a masked rtCGM system during follow-up.

A total of 141 patients completed follow-up (75 rtCGM participants and 66 control participants). Results showed that rtCGM use was associated with a mean reduction of 10.8 to 3.5 hypoglycemic events per 28 days, translating to a 72% decrease in the incidence of hypoglycemic events in rtCGM participants.

Reductions among control participants, however, were negligible (14.4 to 13.7 hypoglycemic events per 28 days).

A total of 18 serious adverse events were reported, none of which were associated with the investigational device.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Heinemann L, Freckmann G, Ehrmann D, et al. Real-time continuous glucose monitoring in adults with type 1 diabetes and impaired hypoglycemia awareness or severe hypoglycemia treated with multiple daily insulin injections (HypoDE): a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Lancet. 2018;391:1367-1377. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30297-6.