Continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes: Why? When? Whom?

The overall assessment of glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes should normally include the monitoring of three parameters that are usually depicted as the 'glucose triad': HbA(1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and postprandial glucose (PPG) excursions. However one additional marker, the so-called 'glucose variability' might be as important as the three others since it has been demonstrated that both upward and downward glucose fluctuations are potent activators of oxidative stress. Even though many methods have been proposed for assessing glucose fluctuations, the 'mean amplitude glucose excursions' (MAGE) index remains the 'gold standard'. However MAGE estimation requires the use of continuous glucose sensors. Despite the debate on the reliability and cost of the devices that permit glucose monitoring, we suggest that interventional trials designed to evaluate the effects of glucose fluctuations on diabetic complications should benefit from the use of continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMSs). More prosaically, the use of these technologies could be extended to current clinical care of type 2 diabetic patients especially for motivating them to accept earlier insulin treatments in case of 'oral antidiabetic drug secondary failure', and further for choosing the most appropriate insulin regimen. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.