Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to manage diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents is widely used to control the disease. Aim: to assess the impact of CGM on metabolic compensation in type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents who are currently on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) based on the frequency and duration of monitoring.
A comparison of HbA1 indicators in 171 children and adolescents aged 4.5 to 18 years old who had been on insulin pump therapy for the previous three or more years was made. Data on two groups of patients were compared: Group 1 included 70 patients who used CGM permanently or no less frequently than 1 week a month; Group 2 comprised 101 patients who used CGM rarely (1-2 times a year) or did not use CGM at all.
Children and adolescents of the age group who used CGM permanently or no less frequently than 1 week a month tended to have reduced levels of НbA1c compared to the children and adolescents who used no CGM or used it rarely (7.78±1.38% vs. 8.13±1.24% p>0.05) . Significantly more reduced levels of HbA1 were observed in adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old who used CGM permanently compared to adolescents who used no CGM (7.81±1.12 vs. 8.3±1.23%, p <0.05).
The use of CGM to manage diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents contributes to sustained metabolic compensation of the disease: the best estimates of glycemic control were seen in adolescents who used CGM permanently.