Continuous Glucose Monitoring
What is non-stop glucose tracking?
Continuous glucose tracking mechanically tracks blood glucose ranges, additionally referred to as blood sugar, in the day and night time. You can see your glucose degree whenever at a glance. You also can assess how your glucose adjustments over some hours or days to peer trends. Seeing glucose ranges in actual time assists you to make extra knowledgeable choices in the day approximately the way to stability your food, bodily activity, and drugs.
How do non-stop glucose reveal (CGM) paintings?
A CGM works via a tiny sensor inserted below your pores and skin, normally for your stomach or arm. The sensor measures your interstitial glucose degree, that’s the glucose determined withinside the fluid among the cells. The sensor exams glucose every few mins. A transmitter wirelessly sends the records to a reveal.
The reveal can be a part of an insulin pump or a separate tool, that you would possibly convey in a pocket or purse. Some CGMs ship records immediately to a phone or tablet. Several fashions are to be had and are indexed within side the American Diabetes Association’s product manual External hyperlink.
Drawing of a non-stop glucose reveal. A transmitter patch at the stomach covers a tiny glucose sensor below the pores and skin. The transmitter sends information to a small receiver with a viewing display screen, that’s clipped to a belt. The CGM receiver proven right here is a part of an insulin pump.
Photo courtesy: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
A tiny CGM sensor below the pores and skin assessments glucose. A transmitter sends information to a receiver. The CGM receiver can be a part of an insulin pump, as proven right here, or a separate tool.
Special Features of a CGM
CGMs are constantly on and recording glucose ranges—whether or not you’re showering, running, exercising, or sleeping. Many CGMs have unique capabilities that paintings with records out of your glucose readings:
An alarm can sound while your glucose degree is going too low or too excessive.
You can word your meals, bodily activity, and drugs in a CGM tool, too, along with your glucose ranges.
You can download information to a laptop or clever tool to extra effortlessly see your glucose trends.
Some fashions can ship records proper away to a 2d person’s phone—possibly a discern, partner, or caregiver. For example, if a child’s glucose drops dangerously low overnight, the CGM can be set to wake a discern withinside the subsequent room.
Currently, one CGM version is accredited for remedy choices, the Dexcom G5 Mobile. That way you could make adjustments in your diabetes care plan primarily based totally on CGM effects by myself. With different fashions, you ought to first verify a CGM analyzing with finger-stick blood glucose take a look at it earlier than you are taking insulin or dealing with hypoglycemia.
Special Requirements Needed to Use a CGM
Twice an afternoon, you could want to test the CGM itself. You’ll take a look at a drop of blood on a general glucose meter. The glucose analysis ought to be comparable on each gadget.
You’ll additionally want to update the CGM sensor each three to 7 days, relying upon the version.
For protection, it’s crucial to do so while a CGM alarm sounds approximately excessive or low blood glucose. You ought to comply with your remedy plan to convey your glucose into the goal range or get assistance.
A female maintaining blood glucose takes a look at the meter and a phone used to log effects. On the desk is a finger-prick tool, referred to as a lancet, that’s used to attract a drop of blood.
CGM glucose readings want to be checked in opposition to a general glucose meter two times an afternoon.
Who can use a CGM?
CGMs are accredited to be used via way of means of adults and youngsters with a medical doctor’s prescription. Some fashions can be used for youngsters as younger as age 2. Your medical doctor can also additionally advocate a CGM in case you or your child:
are on in-depth insulin therapy, additionally referred to as tight blood sugar control
have hypoglycemia unawareness
frequently have excessive or low blood glucose
Your medical doctor can also additionally endorse the use of a CGM device all of the time or best for some days to assist alter your diabetes care plan.
What are the blessings of a CGM?
Compared with a general blood glucose meter, the use of a CGM device assist you to
higher control your glucose ranges each day
have fewer low blood glucose emergencies
want fewer finger sticks
A photo at the CGM display screen indicates whether or not your glucose is growing or dropping—and the way quickly—so that you can select the fine manner to attain your goal glucose degree.
Over time, exact control of glucose substantially enables humans with diabetes to live wholesomely and save you headaches of the disease. People who benefit the most important gain from a CGM are folks that use it each day or almost every day.
What are the bounds of a CGM?
Researchers are running to make CGMs extra correct and less complicated to use. But you continue to want finger-stick glucose to take a look at two times an afternoon to test the accuracy of your CGM in opposition to a general blood glucose meter.
With maximum CGM fashions, you couldn’t but rely upon the CGM by myself to make remedy choices. For example, earlier than converting your insulin dose, you ought to first verify a CGM analyzing via way of means of doing finger-stick glucose take a look at.
A CGM device is extra costly than the use of a general glucose meter. Check together along with your medical health insurance plan or Medicare NIH outside hyperlink to peer whether or not the prices may be covered.
What is a synthetic pancreas?
A CGM is one a part of the “synthetic pancreas” structures that can be starting to attain humans with diabetes.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has performed a crucial position in growing synthetic pancreas technology. A synthetic pancreas replaces guide blood glucose checking out and the usage of insulin shots. An unmarried device video display units of blood glucose ranges across the clock and offers insulin or each insulin and a 2d hormone, glucagon, mechanically. The device also can be monitored remotely, as an example via way of means of mother and father or clinical staff.
In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accredited a sort of synthetic pancreas device referred to as a hybrid closed-loop device External hyperlink. This device exams your glucose degree every five mins in the day and night time via a CGM, and mechanically offers you the proper quantity of basal insulin, long-performing insulin, via a separate insulin pump. You will nevertheless want to check your blood with a glucose meter in some instances in the afternoon. And you will manually alter the quantity of insulin the pump grants at mealtimes and while you want a correction dose.
The hybrid closed-loop device can also additionally lose you from a number of the everyday duties had to maintain your blood glucose stable—or assist you to sleep via the night time without the want to wake and take a look at your glucose or take medicine. Talk together along with your fitness care company approximately whether or not this device is probably proper for you.
The NIDDK has funded – and keeps to fund – numerous crucial research on one-of-a-kind styles of synthetic pancreas gadgets to higher assist humans with kind 1 diabetes in controlling their disease. The gadgets might also assist humans with kind 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
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