Impact of Continuous Glucose Monitoring on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

In the U.S., 34.1 million adults (age ≥18 years) or 13% of the adult population are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Effective glycemic control is integral to diabetes management in order to lower the risk of complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, cardiovascular disease and renal disease. Currently, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) with fingerstick blood sample is the conventional method to assess short-term glycemic control. However, several barriers limit its use, such as discomfort, inconvenience, and high costs. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is emerging as a potential replacement for SMBG in patients with type 2 diabetes. CGM technology uses subcutaneously inserted sensors to measure real-time interstitial glucose levels throughout the day, providing convenience, ease of use and data shareability at lower costs. It is the gold standard of care for adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) but used less frequently in those with T2DM. Also, there have been mixed results regarding the benefit of CGM in patients with T2DM. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether CGM leads to greater improvement in glycemic control compared to SMBG in nonpregnant adults with T2DM