Frequent scanning using flash glucose monitoring contributes to better glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

• Published in: Journal of diabetes investigation Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 185 - 190
• Main Authors: Urakami, Tatsuhiko, Yoshida, Kei, Kuwabara, Remi, Mine, Yusuke, Aoki, Masako, Suzuki, Junichi, Morioka, Ichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-01-2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - methods; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Female; Flash glucose monitoring; Glucose; Glucose monitoring; Glycated Hemoglobin - analysis; Glycemic Control - methods; Glycemic Control - statistics & numerical data; Hemoglobin; Humans; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Insulin; Insulin - administration & dosage; Insulin Infusion Systems; Male; Multivariate Analysis; Original; Patients; Peptides; Regression analysis; Scanning; Sensors; Teenagers; Time Factors; Time in range; Trends; Flash glucose monitoring; Scanning; Time in range
• ISSN: 2040-1116; 2040-1124
• DOI: 10.1111/jdi.13618

Aims/Introduction
We examined the impact of scanning frequency with flash glucose monitoring on glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
Materials and Methods
The study included 85 patients, aged 14.0 ± 0.5 years, with type 1 diabetes. The median time in the target glucose range (TIR) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values were 50.0 ± 1.4% and 7.5 ± 0.1%, respectively.
Results
The median scanning frequency using flash glucose monitoring was 12.0 ± 0.4 times/day. Scanning frequency showed a significant positive correlation with TIR and an inverse correlation with HbA1c. Scanning frequency was identified to be the determinant of TIR and HbA1c by using multivariate analysis. The participants whose scanning frequency was <12 times/day were categorized as the low‐frequency group (n = 40), and those who carried out the scanning >12 times/day were categorized as the high‐frequency group (n = 45). Patients in the high‐frequency group were more likely to be treated with insulin pumps compared with those in the low‐frequency group; however, this difference was not significant (21.3 vs 5.3%, P = 0.073). The high‐frequency group showed significantly greater TIR than the low‐frequency group (57 ± 1.6 vs 42 ± 1.7%, P = 0.002). Furthermore, the high‐frequency group showed significantly lower HbA1c levels than the low‐frequency group (6.8 ± 0.1 vs 8.0 ± 0.1%, P < 0.001).
Conclusions
These findings showed that patients with a higher scanning frequency had better glycemic control, with greater TIRs and lower HbA1c levels, compared with those with a lower scanning frequency. Scanning frequency of >12 times/day might contribute to better glycemic outcomes in real‐world practice in children with type 1 diabetes.
Patients with a higher scanning frequency had better glycemic control, with greater target glucose range and lower glycosylated hemoglobin level, compared with those with lower scanning frequency. Frequent scanning of >12 times per day using flash glucose monitoring might contribute to better glycemic outcomes in children with type 1 diabetes.