Glucose concentrations in blood and tissue - a pilot study on variable time lag

Aim. The aim of this pilot study was to acquire insight into the parameters of glycaemic control, especially, (1) the time delay (lag phase) between plasma and tissue glucose concentrations in relation to rise and fall in glucose levels and (2) the rate of glucose increase and decrease. Methods. Four healthy people (HP), 4 people with type 1diabetes (DM1) and 4 with type 2 diabetes (DM2) underwent concurrent glucose measurements by means of (1) the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS-Medtronic), Medtronic-Minimed, CA, USA, calibrated by the glucometer Calla, Wellion, Austria, and, (2) the Beckman II analyser to measure glucose concentrations in venous plasma. Samples were taken on 4 consecutive days in the fasting state and 4 times after consumption of 50 g glucose. Carelink Personal, MS Excel, Maple and Mat lab were applied to plot the evolution of glucose concentration and analyse the results. The time difference between increase and decrease was calculated for HP, DM 1 and DM 2. Results. In DM1 and DM2, glucose tolerance testing (GTT) resulted in slower transport of glucose into subcutaneous tissue than in HP where the lag phase lasted up to 12 min. The maximum increase/decrease rates in DM1 and DM2 vs HP were 0.25 vs < 0.1 mmol/L/min. Conclusion. CGMS is shown to provide reliable plasma glucose concentrations provided the system is calibrated during a steady state. The analysis of glucose change rates improves understanding of metabolic processes better than standard GTT.