The Evolving Role of Short-Term Professional Continuous Glucose Monitoring on Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia Among Saudi Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Study

Introduction: The aim of this study was to find out the evolving role of professional continuous glucose monitoring (PCGM) on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and the frequency of hypoglycemia. Methods: This was a 3-month, prospective study conducted among patients (aged 15-24 years) with type 1 diabetes mellitus who attended a diabetes clinic [Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia] due to recurrent unexplained hypoglycemia unawareness episodes between July 2014 and December 2014. The respondents were purposively and conveniently selected and they were asked to wear the PCGM device (iPro (R) 2; Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Northridge, CA, USA) for 5 days. The PCGM results were collected by the diabetic educator and reviewed by the treating physician on the same day as removal of the device. Clinical and demographic data were also collected. Results: Overall, 56 patients were included in the study. The mean (+/-SD) age of the study cohort was 18.1 +/- 1.82 years and 27 (48.2%) patients were male. Compared with baseline, non-significant but positive differences were observed in HbA1c levels in both male and female patients and in those who were older (aged 20-24 years). Similar results were observed in the frequency of hypoglycemia and a significant change was observed for female patients (P<0.05). Compared with baseline, a significant positive difference was observed in patients' overall frequency of hypoglycemia by the end of the study (P<0.001). Conclusions: Professional continuous glucose monitoring is a valuable tool for detecting episodes of hypoglycemia and may help to decrease HbA1c levels and reduce the frequency of hypoglycemia.