
Type 2 Diabetes: Will Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Help?
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been found to help those with type 1 diabetes, especially those who use an insulin pump, manage their A1C and blood sugar fluctuations.
Now, researchers and doctors are branching out, wondering if CGM could help those with type 2 diabetes do the same.
The CGM system includes a tiny electrode, or glucose sensor, inserted under the skin to measure the glucose in tissue fluid. This electrode is connected to a transmitter that relays information to a monitoring and display device. If glucose drops too low or rises too high to alert sounds.
So, could a CGM system help you?
Two experts weighed the pros and cons of CGM to manage type 2 diabetes at a recent symposium at the American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions in San Diego. While both experts see the potential for all patients with type 2, for argument's sake, they alternated taking pro and con sides.
Here, a recap of what is known about CGM for those with type 2 diabetes on multiple daily injections (MDI), basal insulin and non-insulin users.1
CGM for MDI Users
Multiple studies have found that CGM can reduce A1C and low blood sugar in those with type 1 diabetes, but do those findings translate to those with type 2? At least some research suggests they do, says Jeremy Pettus, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego.
Researchers assigned 158 people with type 2 diabetes to use CGM or self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and followed them for six months. At that point, those in the CGM group had an average A1C of 8%, compared to 7.7% in
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