NEW YORK, Sep 10, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. study has determined type 1
diabetes patients using continuous glucose monitoring improved their HbA1c blood
sugar control levels.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International-funded trial showed type
1 diabetes patients using continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM, devices
experienced significant improvements in HbA1c blood sugar control. HbA1c is a
form of hemoglobin that's used to identify the average plasma glucose
concentration in a patient's blood during prolonged periods of time.
Researchers said blood sugar control improvement was greatest for CGM patients
25 years or older, whose HbA1c levels decreased during the study by an average
of 0.53 percent, as compared with .001 percent for control patients.
"These results are very important, because they show continuous glucose monitors
are more than simply devices of convenience for people with diabetes -- they are
tools that can substantially improve blood sugar control when used regularly,"
said Dr. Aaron Kowalski, director for metabolic control at JDRF.
Study results were presented this week in Rome during a meeting of the European
Association for the Study of Diabetes. Portions of the data will appear in the
Oct. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and are now available at
nejm.org.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International