Continuous glucose monitoring

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a method of tracking glucose levels in the blood throughout the day and night. CGM systems take glucose measurements at regular intervals, 24 hours a day, and translate the readings into dynamic data, generating glucose direction and rate of change reports.

Overview

Continuous glucose monitoring systems consist of a glucose sensor, which is inserted under the skin, and a transmitter that sends the information to a monitoring device. The sensor measures the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid - the fluid in and around the body's cells.

Benefits

Continuous glucose monitoring can provide valuable information for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers. It can help identify patterns and trends that can help determine the best strategies for insulin dosing, meals, and physical activity.

Limitations

While CGM has many benefits, it also has some limitations. The accuracy of CGM can be affected by factors such as the sensor site, medications, dehydration, and the lag time between blood glucose and interstitial glucose.

Types of CGM Systems

There are three types of continuous glucose monitoring systems: real-time CGM (rtCGM), retrospective CGM (rCGM), and professional CGM (pCGM).

Real-Time CGM

Real-time CGM (rtCGM) provides near real-time glucose readings, alerts for high and low glucose levels, and trend information.

Retrospective CGM

Retrospective CGM (rCGM) is a system where the person with diabetes does not receive real-time updates of glucose levels. Instead, the data can be downloaded and analyzed retrospectively with the help of a healthcare provider.

Professional CGM

Professional CGM (pCGM) is a type of CGM where the data is blinded to the patient and analyzed by the healthcare provider at the end of the sensor wear period.

See Also

• Glucose meter
• Insulin pump
• Diabetes management