The role of continuous glucose monitoring in improving glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PURPOSE: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology offers real-time glucose feedback and has shown potential to improve glycemic control. This retrospective study evaluated the effect of CGM on glycemic outcomes in Korean children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in a real-world setting.

METHODS

We included 66 participants divided into a CGM group (n=22) and a self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) group (n=44). We compared changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of the 2 groups over 1 year and observed changes in CGM activation time, mean glucose, glucose management indicator (GMI), coefficient of variation (CV), time in range (TIR), and hypoglycemia.

RESULTS

The CGM group had a mean age of 16.63 years and time from diagnosis to the initiation of study of 4.19 years, while those of the SMBG group were 17.85 years and 5.19 years, respectively. In the CGM group, mean HbA1c decreased from 8.68% at baseline to 7.92% at 12 months (P=0.011), whereas HbA1c increased from 8.46% to 8.93% in the SMBG group (P<0.001). The changes in HbA1c at 1 year between the CGM and SMBG groups were significantly different (-0.76%±1.39% vs. 0.47%±1.38%, P=0.001). CGM activation time decreased slightly (89.09% to 79.24%, P=0.093), and there were no significant changes in TIR, mean glucose, GMI, CV, or hypoglycemia over time.

CONCLUSION

CGM use in Korean children and adolescents with T1DM significantly improves HbA1c levels over 12 months compared to SMBG. The implementation of CGM may provide valuable benefits in glycemic control and potentially reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications.