An analysis presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, indicates that type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients on basal insulin who adopted continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) faced a 44% reduced risk of dying from any cause within one year.
The study found that the risk of death was lower after two years for CGM users compared to those who did not use CGM. They had a 35% lower risk of death.
This technology has improved care for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, improving blood glucose control and reducing episodes of hypoglycaemia. It has transformed care for these individuals.
Researchers used the Truveta platform, a database of anonymised electronic health records, to assess the risk of death and macrovascular events in adults with T2D receiving basal insulin therapy.
The study compared 13,935 patients who filled a first prescription for CGM with 13,935 non-CGM users, matched on 29 patient characteristics. The comparison was made to determine the effectiveness of CGM.
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At 12 months, CGM users were less likely to die from any cause, with death occurring in 1.16% of CGM users compared to 2.09% of non-CGM users. This represents a significant difference.
The risk of experiencing a new macrovascular event was lower among CGM users at 12 months and 24 months. The risk was 26% lower at 12 months and 24% lower at 24 months.
The rate of recurrent macrovascular events was also lower among CGM users at 12 months and 24 months. It was 35% lower at 12 months and 36% lower at 24 months.
The rate of heart failure hospitalisations was around half as high among CGM users at both 12 months and 24 months. This indicates a positive effect of CGM on heart health.
The average age of the participants in the study was 58 years, and 47% were female, providing a diverse sample for the analysis. Estimates suggest that around 7% of the 405 million people with T2D, or nearly 30 million people globally, require insulin therapy, highlighting the significance of this research for a large population. The findings remained consistent across several sensitivity analyses, including analyses that excluded the COVID-19 period and excluded deaths occurring within the first 90 days, demonstrating the robustness of the results. At 24 months, the risk of death from any cause was 35% lower among CGM users, with a rate of 2.12% compared to 3.26% for non-CGM users.