Blood Glucose Monitoring Data Should Be Reported in Detail When Studies About Efficacy of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Are Published

Abstract

Recently, two clinical trials about a “sensor-based flash glucose monitoring system” and its efficacy in reducing time in hypoglycemia were published. Interestingly, patients spent more time at low glucose concentrations in these studies than in other studies related to the efficacy of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM). Although it is possible that the study populations differed from those in other studies, another potential explanation is that the CGM system used in these two studies had a negative glucose measurement bias. Such a negative bias was reported in recent literature, suggesting that the CGM system may inaccurately indicate hypoglycemia. Reporting blood glucose monitoring data would help to interpret the CGM data at least in the context of time spent in various glucose ranges as a parameter with which quality of diabetes therapy is measured.