A new study published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care, indicates a significant reduction in acute complications of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and in hospitalizations due to such complications, in patients using a continuous glucose monitoring system without pricking, compared to self-monitoring with a home glucose meter.
The study included a large sample of approximately 74,000 diabetic patients and was based on health insurance claims data in the French National Health Service Database.
First, the researchers examined and compared the rate of hospitalizations due to ketoacidosis (DKA), acute hypoglycemia, diabetic coma, and hyperglycemia, in the 12 months prior to starting continuous glucose monitoring.
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With the introduction of continuous glucose monitoring without pricking, there was a 491% reduction in the rate of hospitalizations due to serious complications of type 1 diabetes and a 39.41% reduction in hospitalizations due to these complications in type 2 diabetics.
The number of cases of ketoacidosis dropped by 56.2% in type 1 diabetics and by 52.1% in type 2 diabetics.
At the same time, the number of hospitalizations due to loss of consciousness decreased by 39.6% in type 1 diabetics, and 31.9% in type 2 diabetics. Hospitalizations due to hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia also decreased in type 2 diabetics by 10.8% and 26.5%, respectively.
In addition to reducing complications and hospitalizations, the study also examined the degree of persistence in using the FreeStyle Libre system. The researchers found that 98.11% of patients who received the system continued to use it 12 months after starting use.
Dr. Roy Eldor, Director of the Diabetes Unit at Sourasky Medical Center: "The study emphasizes the importance of a continuous sugar monitoring system in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who are insulin-dependent. Continuous sugar monitoring in patients who need to inject insulin many times a day allows for a better understanding of blood sugar and prevents emergency situations resulting from too low or too high sugar values.
""The results of the French study join previous studies demonstrating this phenomenon and position the use of a continuous glucose monitor in patients who depend on multiple insulin injections throughout the day as part of the standard treatment plan.".
