Continuous Glucose Monitoring Can Lower HbA_1c in Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM; subcutaneous glucose sensing and feedback with high and low glucose alerts) improves glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes, whether they inject insulin or use insulin pumps. However, whether CGM benefits patients with type 2 diabetes who use insulin is unclear.

With funding from a CGM device manufacturer, researchers enrolled 158 patients (mean age, 60) with type 2 diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA_1c] level, 7.5%–9.9%; mean diabetes duration, 17 years) who used multiple daily insulin injections. Patients were recruited from North American endocrinology practices and were randomized to either CGM or fingerstick blood glucose monitoring ≥4 times daily for 24 weeks. Treating physicians adjust…