Continuous Glucose Monitoring Can Predict Microvascular Complications in Type 1 Diabetes

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fourteen-day continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) traces added to Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) data can predict microvascular diabetes complications similarly to glycated hemoglobin, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics.

Boris P. Kovatchev, Ph.D., from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues examined the association of CGM metrics with microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes observed during the DCCT and established time-in-range (TIR) as a marker for glycemic control. Virtual CGM traces were added to the original DCCT data for each participant using a multistep machine-learning procedure.

The researchers found that TIR (70 to 180 mg/dL) computed from virtual CGM data for 14 days prior to each glycated hemoglobin measure reflected the observed differences in glycemic control between the intensive and conventional DCCT groups, with TIR >60 percent and <40 percent in these groups, respectively. TIR was associated with the risk for development or progression of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy, similar to glycated hemoglobin. TIR predicted retinopathy and microalbuminuria similarly to the original glycated hemoglobin data.

“We have demonstrated a strong association of TIR with the risk of development or progression of retinopathy and with the development of microalbuminuria,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text