CGM could lower risk of dying for people with diabetes, according to new analysis

YARMOUTH, Maine – People with Type 2 diabetes on basal insulin who are starting continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) had a 44% lower risk of dying from any cause after one year compared with those who did not use CGM, according to an analysis of patient data being presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan Sept. 28-Oct. 2. The risk was 35% lower after two years, according to the analysis. Researchers say the analysis provides the first evidence of an association between advanced CGM technologies and lower risk of death in people living with Type 2 diabetes receiving therapy with basal insulin with or without non-insulin diabetes medications. They say it also shows a reduced risk of cardiovascular events, with the risk of experiencing a new macrovascular event 26% lower among CGM users at 12 months than among non-CGM users (1.03% vs 1.39%) and 24% lower at 24 months (1.64% vs 2.17%). Researchers from Abbott and collaborating institutions used the Truveta platform, a database that includes anonymized electronic health records of more than 140 million Americans, to assess the risk of death from any cause, as well as first and recurrent macrovascular events, including heart attack, heart failure, stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and peripheral artery disease-in adults with Type 2 diabetes receiving basal insulin therapy between Jan. 1, 2017, and March 18, 2024. The target trial emulation study compared 13,935 patients who filled a first prescription for CGM with 13,935 non-CGM users.