Improvements in sensor accuracy, greater convenience and ease of use, and expanding reimbursement have led to growing adoption of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). However, successful utilization of CGM technology in routine clinical practice remains relatively low. This may be due in part to the lack of clear and agreed-upon glycemic targets that both diabetes teams and people with diabetes can work toward. Although unified recommendations for use of key CGM metrics have been established in three separate peer-reviewed articles, formal adoption by diabetes professional organizations and guidance in the practical application of these metrics in clinical practice have been lacking. In February 2019, the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) Congress convened an international panel of physicians, researchers, and individuals with diabetes who are expert in CGM technologies to address this issue. This article summarizes the ATTD consensus recommendations for relevant aspects of CGM data utilization and reporting among the various diabetes populations.

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Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range

The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 2017 Standards of Care were published in Diabetes Care on 15 December 2016. Notable changes in the new guidelines include the recommendation of sodiumglucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor empagliflozin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist liraglutide for type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients at high risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Data from the Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes (EMPA-REG OUTCOME) trial and the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER) trial are now included in the section on cardiovascular disease and risk management. In addition, fixed-ratio combinations of a basal insulin and a GLP-1 agonist are included in the algorithm for combination therapy, just weeks after the first of these products, Novo Nordisk’s (Copenhagen, Denmark) Xultophy (insulin degludec/liraglutide) and Sanofi’s (Paris, France) Soliqua (insulin glargine/lixisenatide), were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prescription in the US. Based on recommendations from the International Hypoglycemia Study Group, the ADA’s 2017 Standards of Care features a new classification for hypoglycemia: clinically significant hypoglycemia is now defined at blood glucose levels <54 mg/dL, whereas blood glucose levels <70 mg/dL should be used as an “alert value” to help individuals avoid more severe hypoglycemia. The ADA’s new guidelines also include a greater emphasis on cost of diabetes drugs, T2D prevention (with a push for more frequent prediabetes screenings), and psychosocial support in diabetes care, especially for adolescents and pediatric patients.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1753-0407.12524

American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2017.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the association of time in range (TIR) of 70–180 mg/dL (3.9–10 mmol/L) with the development or progression of retinopathy and development of microalbuminuria using the Diabetes Control and Complications (DCCT) data set in order to validate the use of TIR as an outcome measure for clinical trials. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In the DCCT, blood glucose concentrations were measured at a central laboratory from seven fingerstick samples (seven-point testing: pre- and 90-min postmeals and at bedtime) collected during 1 day every 3 months. Retinopathy progression was assessed every 6 months and urinary microalbuminuria development every 12 months. Proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of TIR and other glycemic metrics, computed from the seven-point fingerstick data, with the rate of development of microvascular complications. RESULTS Mean TIR of seven-point profiles for the 1,440 participants was 41 ± 16%. The hazard rate of development of retinopathy progression was increased by 64% (95% CI 51–78), and development of the microalbuminuria outcome was increased by 40% (95% CI 25–56) for each 10 percentage points lower TIR ( P CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, a compelling case can be made that TIR is strongly associated with the risk of microvascular complications and should be an acceptable end point for clinical trials. Although hemoglobin A 1c remains a valuable outcome metric in clinical trials, TIR and other glycemic metrics—especially when measured with continuous glucose monitoring—add value as outcome measures in many studies.

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Validation of Time in Range as an Outcome Measure for Diabetes Clinical Trials.

To achieve good metabolic control in diabetes and keep long term, a combination of changes in lifestyle and pharmacological treatment is necessary. Achieving near-normal glycated hemoglobin significantly, decreases risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications. At present there are different treatments, both oral and injectable, available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Treatment algorithms designed to reduce the development or progression of the complications of diabetes emphasizes the need for good glycaemic control. The aim of this review is to perform an update on the benefits and limitations of different drugs, both current and future, for the treatment of T2DM. Initial intervention should focus on lifestyle changes. Moreover, changes in lifestyle have proven to be beneficial, but for many patients is a complication keep long term. Physicians should be familiar with the different types of existing drugs for the treatment of diabetes and select the most effective, safe and better tolerated by patients. Metformin remains the first choice of treatment for most patients. Other alternative or second-line treatment options should be individualized depending on the characteristics of each patient. This article reviews the treatments available for patients with T2DM, with an emphasis on agents introduced within the last decade.

Update on the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Position Statement

The International Hypoglycaemia Study Group recommends that the frequency of detection of a glucose concentration <3.0 mmol/l (<54 mg/dl), which it considers to be clinically significant biochemical hypoglycaemia, be included in reports of clinical trials of glucose-lowering drugs evaluated for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

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Glucose concentrations of less than 3.0 mmol/l (54 mg/dl) should be reported in clinical trials: a joint position statement of the American Diabetes Association and the Europian Association for the Study of Diabetes

Hypoglycaemia, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in diabetes: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management

Hypoglycemia caused by treatment with a sulfonylurea, a glinide, or insulin coupled with compromised defenses against the resulting falling plasma glucose concentrations is a problem for many people with diabetes. It is often recurrent, causes significant morbidity and occasional mortality, limits maintenance of euglycemia, and impairs physiological and behavioral defenses against subsequent hypoglycemia. Minimizing hypoglycemia includes acknowledging the problem; considering each risk factor; and applying the principles of intensive glycemic therapy, including drug selection and selective application of diabetes treatment technologies. For diabetes health-care providers treating most people with diabetes who are at risk for or are suffering from iatrogenic hypoglycemia, these principles include selecting appropriate individualized glycemic goals and providing structured patient education to reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia. This is typically combined with short-term scrupulous avoidance of hypoglycemia, which often will reverse impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. Clearly, the risk of hypoglycemia is modifiable.

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Yingying Luo

Papers

Glucose concentrations of less than 3.0 mmol/l (54 mg/dl) should be reported in clinical trials: a joint position statement of the American Diabetes Association and the Europian Association for the Study of Diabetes

Hypoglycaemia, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in diabetes: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management

Minimizing Hypoglycemia in Diabetes.