Expanding the Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Impact on Glycemic Control and Metabolic Health

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to identify the sociodemographic or health behavioral factors that influence the outcomes. The data were collected from 510 diabetic patients prescribed to use CGM for 12 weeks and analyzed using SPSS 27.0. Paired samples t-tests were used to compare the glycemic control (HbA1c and fasting glucose) and metabolic health (body mass index and total cholesterol) measures of subjects before and after the CGM use, and independent t-tests were conducted to examine whether the effectiveness of CGM differs according to subjects’ sociodemographic and health behavioral characteristics. As a result of this study, the use of CGM resulted in a significant reduction in HbA1c from 8.09 to 7.48 percent (p < 0.001) and in fasting glucose from 152.41 to 137.16 mg/dL (p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis of CGM effectiveness, fasting glucose reduction was greater in females than in males and in patients with type 2 diabetes than in those with type 1 diabetes. In conclusion, it is essential to consider patient characteristics to enhance the effectiveness of CGM and to expand its use to type 2 diabetes to reduce the social burden of the disease.