RE: Continuous glucose monitors for type 1s

[Guest guest]

It will be interesting Jen to dfind out what is happening to you during the

hours between finger sticks! It sjut make me angry that they haven't made

these accessible to the blind so we could use them to help ourselves at home

and not have to wiat until we get to the doctors office to find out .

Continuous glucose monitors for type 1s

I will be using a continuous glucose monitor for several days through my

diabetes clinic at the local hospital. It should give some valuable data and

be interesting to see exactly what my blood sugars do in between fingerstick

tests. Of particular interest is what happens overnight, what happens

immediately after eating, what happens during and after exercise, and what

happens when I do an infusion set change.

Below I've posted an interesting study showing how CGMS helps improve

control in people with type 1 diabetes. Although this study is referring to

the systems used at home around the clock, I think even short-term use such

as what I am doing can show valuable information about glucose trends over

the course of the day and night.

CGMS devices are not accessible to those who can't see the screens, but ones

such as what I'm using hide the data (no screen at all) until it is

downloaded by a doctor or diabetes nurse who then reviews trends with you.

This type of situation could be useful to someone who is blind, even if the

monitors for home use are not.

Jen

Study Shows CGMs Help Type 1s Achieve Better Blood Sugar Control-Especially

Those Over 25

Sep 11, 2008

A study sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation confirms that

many older type 1 patients achieve better control of their blood sugar

levels by using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) than by conventional

monitoring with a meter and finger pricks.

The study also shows that the success of a CGM may depend on the age of the

user.

CGMs use tiny sensors embedded under the skin to report blood glucose levels

up to several hundred times a day. The data allow users to track upward and

downward blood sugar trends, to which they can respond with exercise,

insulin doses, or changes in food intake.

The study, published on September 8, 2008, in the New England Journal of

Medicine, used CGMs from three manufacturers: Abbott Laboratories (Free

Style Navigator), DexCom, Inc. (DexCom Seven), and Medtronic, Inc. (MiniMed

insulin pump and CGM). Abbott and & supplied the home

glucose meters.

Over six months, the study tracked 322 type 1s who were receiving intensive

therapy in the form of either insulin pump use or more than three daily

injections of insulin. The patients were divided into two groups: the first

group, with 165 patients, used CGMs exclusively, while the second group of

157 patients used traditional home glucose meters and test strips.

The patients were further divided into three age groups: eight- to

14-year-olds (114 patients); 15- to 24-year-olds (110 patients); and those

25 years and older (98 patients).

By the end of the study, the 25 and older group saw a 0.53% reduction in

average A1c. (The mean baseline A1c level for all study patients was 8%.)

The study reported no statistically significant reductions in A1c levels for

the two younger patient groups. The researchers attributed these results to

each group's rate of use. In the 25 and older group, 83 percent of the

patients used the CGM at least six days a week, compared to only 30 percent

of the 15- to 24-year-old group.

Among the eight- to 14-year-old group, who might have been expected to

record an even lower rate of use, 50 percent used the CGM six days or more

per week. That figure may have resulted from greater parental involvement

with younger patients.

The study's results add more weight to the case for CGM reimbursement by

insurance companies, an argument that manufacturers, physicians, and

patients have been making for some time. By giving people with diabetes the

tools to control their blood sugar levels, the insurance companies will pay

less down the line to treat the retinopathy, vascular disease, and kidney

problems that often result from uncontrolled blood sugar. In the long run,

paying for CGMs will have a beneficial effect on insurance company profit

margins.

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[Guest guest]

Hi ,

The one I'm going to be using is brand new - called the Minimed iPro or

something like that. It has no screen, so I am on an even ground with

sighted people in that regard. But the ones that do have screens should be

accessible - same as pumps, I agree. It's very annoying that they're not,

and it's not for lack of technology either, because that exists.

Jen

RE: Continuous glucose monitors for type 1s

It will be interesting Jen to dfind out what is happening to you during the

hours between finger sticks! It sjut make me angry that they haven't made

these accessible to the blind so we could use them to help ourselves at home

and not have to wiat until we get to the doctors office to find out .

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

The one I'm going to be using is brand new - called the Minimed iPro or

something like that. It has no screen, so I am on an even ground with

sighted people in that regard. But the ones that do have screens should be

accessible - same as pumps, I agree. It's very annoying that they're not,

and it's not for lack of technology either, because that exists.

Jen

RE: Continuous glucose monitors for type 1s

It will be interesting Jen to dfind out what is happening to you during the

hours between finger sticks! It sjut make me angry that they haven't made

these accessible to the blind so we could use them to help ourselves at home

and not have to wiat until we get to the doctors office to find out .