Continuous and Intermittent Glucose Monitoring in 2019

Investigating the presence and detectability of structural peripheral arterial changes in children with well-regulated type 1 diabetes versus healthy controls using ultra-high frequency ultrasound: a single-centre cross-sectional and case-control study

Background

Children with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of macrovascular complications. This study used ultra-high frequency ultrasound (UHFUS), enabling differentiation of intima thickness (IT), and media thickness (MT) in peripheral arteries, to examine early peripheral arterial changes in children with type 1 diabetes (CWD).

Methods

This cross-sectional and case-control study performed at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden included CWD, aged 6-15.99 y/o, diabetes duration ≥5 years, compared to age and sex matched healthy controls. Exclusion criteria included other medical conditions or treatments besides insulin, abnormal examination findings or inability to handle extensive examinations. UHFUS measurements from the radial, dorsal pedal (DP), and carotid arteries as well as blood samples, blood pressure (BP)- and BMI z-score were collected from all study participants, and glucometrics from CWD.

Findings

Study inclusion was performed during 02/25/2019-06/28/2022, and a total of 50 CWD, and 41 healthy controls were included in the study. Of these, five CWD and four healthy controls were excluded, resulting in 45 (22 girls (49%), 23 boys (51%)) CWD (12.0 (2.3) y/o) and 37 (19 girls (51%), 18 boys (49%)) healthy controls (11.3 (2.5) y/o) included in data analysis. CWD had a mean HbA1c of 6.6% (48.1 mmol/mol), higher DBP z-scores (p = 0.019), DP IT, DP intima-media thickness (IMT), and radial IT compared with controls (p = 0.003, p = 0.008, and p = 0.002, respectively). Carotid IT was correlated with time in range (r = -0.47, p = 0.014), time in tight range (r = -0.64, p < 0.001), and glucose variability (r = 0.40, p = 0.004) in CWD. Time in tight range and longitudinal HbA1c were the strongest determinants for carotid IT in CWD, and type 1 diabetes diagnosis was the strongest determinant for IT across all arteries.

Interpretation

Children with well-regulated type 1 diabetes show early vascular changes in radial and DP arteries. Regression analyses indicate significant links between IT and hyperglycaemia and type 1 diabetes diagnosis respectively, indicating that structural arterial changes start in the intima. Our findings further emphasise increased time in normoglycemia as the most crucial action to prevent cardiovascular complications in type 1 diabetes. Additional larger studies are needed to confirm and further interpret the meaning of these results.

Funding

ALF-agreement, Child Diabetes Foundation, Swedish Diabetes Foundation, and the Sahlgrenska University Hospital Foundations.

Has subsidized continuous glucose monitoring improved outcomes in pediatric diabetes?

INTRODUCTION

In 2017, the Australian Federal Government fully subsidized continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices for patients under 21 years of age with T1D with the aim of reducing rates of severe hypoglycaemia (SH) and improving metabolic control. The aim of this study was to reports on metabolic outcomes in youth from a single tertiary centre.

METHODS

The study design was observational. Data were obtained on youth who commenced CGM between May 2017 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Three hundred and forty one youth who commenced CGM and had clinical outcome data for a minimum of 4 months. 301, 261, 216, 172, and 125 had outcome data out to 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 months, respectively. Cessation occurred between 27.9% and 32.8% of patients 12 to 24 months after CGM commencement. HbA1c did not change in patients who continued to use CGM. In the 12 months prior to starting CGM the rate of severe hypoglycaemia events were 5.0 per 100 patient years. The rates of severe hypoglycaemia in those continuing to use CGM at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 months, were 5.2, 5.1, 1.6, 6.1, 2.4, and 0 per 100 patient years, respectively.

DISCUSSION

Our experience of patients either ceasing or underusing CGM is less than reported in other cohorts but is nonetheless still high. There may have been a reduction in rates of severe hypoglycaemia over the 24 months follow up period; however, the absolute numbers of events were so low as to preclude meaningful statistical analysis.