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June 2 (UPI) -- Continuous glucose monitors can improve blood sugar control and reduce visits to the emergency room for hypoglycemia in patients with insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA. The Kaiser Permanente study found that continual monitoring, which is the standard care for patients with Type 1 diabetes, can also help patients with Type 2 diabetes.
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"The improvement in blood sugar control was comparable to what a patient might experience after starting a new diabetes medication," study lead author Andrew J. Karter, a senior research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, said in a press release.
The comparative study included 5,673 patients with Type 1 diabetes and 36,080 patients with Type 2 diabetes treated with insulin who were self-monitoring their blood glucose levels.
Using techniques mimicking randomization in a clinical trial, the researchers evaluated before-and-after results among patients who used continuous glucose monitors compared to those who didn't.
They found that continuous glucose monitors helped with declines in levels of HbA1c, a laboratory test used in diagnosis and treatment of diabetes that measures blood sugar levels.
"Blood sugar levels that go too low can be dangerous," said study senior author Dr. Richard Dlott, an endocrinologist and the medical director of population care for The Permanente Medical Group.
"This study shows that continuous glucose monitors helped people stay close to their glucose targets without going too low," Dlott said.
People used finger sticks to test their blood sugar levels for decades, but since 2017, Medicare has covered the cost of continuous glucose monitors for patients with diabetes who met certain qualifications.
The monitors use a thin sensor to detect blood sugar levels just under skin. The sensor transmits blood sugar readings every five minutes to a receiver or smartphone, but they are only available with a prescription.
To qualify under Medicare guidelines, a patients must give themselves three or more shots of insulin daily or use an insulin pump, perform blood glucose tests several times a day and consistently communicate with a diabetes team every three to six months.
Researchers found that doctors preferentially prescribed monitors to patients with a history of hypoglycemia or at a high risk of hypoglycemia.
"We now need to determine whether there are other patients who might also benefit, even if they don't meet all of the Medicare criteria," said Dr. Dlott. "The newest technology isn't always better for everybody. We need to identify the people who are most likely to benefit."
