Use of Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring Is Associated With A1C Reduction in People With Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Basal Insulin or Noninsulin Therapy
Eugene E. Wright, Matthew S. D. Kerr, Ignacio J. Reyes, Yelena Nabutovsky, Eden Miller
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glycemic control is suboptimal in many individuals with type 2 diabetes. Although use of flash continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has demonstrated A1C reductions in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with a multiple daily injection or insulin pump therapy regimen, the glycemic benefit of this technology in patients with type 2 diabetes using nonintensive treatment regimens has not been well studied. METHODS This retrospective, observational study used the IBM Explorys database to assess changes in A1C after flash CGM prescription in a large population with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes treated with nonintensive therapy. Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, age <65 years, treatment with basal insulin or noninsulin therapy, naive to any CGM, baseline A1C ≥8%, and a prescription for the FreeStyle Libre flash CGM system during the period between October 2017 and February 2020. Patients served as their own control subject. RESULTS A total of 1,034 adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 51.6 ± 9.2 years, 50.9% male, baseline A1C 10.1 ± 1.7%) were assessed. More patients received noninsulin treatments (n = 728) than basal insulin therapy (n = 306). We observed a significant reduction in A1C within the full cohort: from 10.1 ± 1.7 to 8.6 ± 1.8%; Δ −1.5 ± 2.2% (P <0.001). The largest reductions were seen in patients with a baseline A1C ≥12.0% (n = 181, A1C reduction −3.7%, P <0.001). Significant reductions were seen in both treatment groups (basal insulin −1.1%, noninsulin −1.6%, both P <0.001). CONCLUSION Prescription of the flash CGM system was associated with significant reductions in A1C in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin or noninsulin therapy. These findings provide evidence for expanding access to flash CGM within the broader population of people with type 2 diabetes.