What is Glycaemic Variability and which Pharmacological Treatment Options are Effective? A Narrative Review

Abstract

Glycated haemoglobin is currently used for diagnosis and follow-up of diabetes mellitus. However, it has important limitations; as it only reflects the average glycaemia over the last 3 months, it does not allow the identification of crucial events, such as episodes of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Strict control of hyperglycaemia can result in severe hypoglycaemia that can be life threatening and can have important sequelae. Recently, the concept of glycaemic variability has been developed to provide information about the magnitude of glycaemic excursions and the duration of these fluctuations. This new approach has the potential to improve outcomes, decrease the risk of hypoglycaemia, and decrease cardiovascular risk. This review describes the most commonly prescribed non-insulin anti-diabetic drugs for diabetes management, their mechanism of action, and the existing evidence about their effectiveness in improving glycaemic variability and diabetes control.