Frequency of Blood Glucose Monitoring in Relation to Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 979 - 982
• Main Author: HARRIS, Maureen I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01.06.2001
• Subjects: Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Care and treatment; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diet, Diabetic; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Ethnic Groups; Female; Glucose; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Health Surveys; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Insulin - therapeutic use; Male; Management. Various non-drug treatments. Langerhans islet grafts; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Patients; Socioeconomic Factors; Type 2 diabetes; United States; United States; Endocrinopathy; Human; Hypoglycemic agent; Hemoglobin A1c; Treatment efficiency; Adult; Frequency; Non insulin dependent diabetes; Elderly; Biological monitoring; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/diacare.24.6.979

Frequency of Blood Glucose Monitoring in Relation to Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Maureen I. Harris , PHD, MPH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland Abstract OBJECTIVE —The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between blood glucose level, measured as HbA 1c , and frequency of self-monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes. Daily self-monitoring is believed to be important for patients treated with insulin or oral agents to detect asymptomatic hypoglycemia and to guide patient and provider behavior toward reaching blood glucose goals. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A national sample of patients with type 2 diabetes was studied in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Data on therapy for diabetes, frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose, and HbA 1c values were obtained by structured questionnaires and by clinical and laboratory assessments. RESULTS —According to the data, 29% of patients treated with insulin, 65% treated with oral agents, and 80% treated with diet alone had never monitored their blood glucose or monitored it less than once per month. Self-monitoring at least once per day was practiced by 39% of those taking insulin and 5–6% of those treated with oral agents or diet alone. For all patients combined, the proportion of patients who tested their blood glucose increased with an increasing HbA 1c value. However, when examined by diabetes therapy category, there was little relationship between HbA 1c value and the proportion testing at least once per day or the proportion testing at least once per week. CONCLUSIONS —In this cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes, the increase in frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose with increasing HbA 1c value was associated with the higher proportion of insulin-treated patients in higher HbA 1c categories. Within diabetes therapy categories, the frequency of self-monitoring was not related to glycemic control, as measured by HbA 1c level. ADA, American Diabetes Association NHANES III, third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Footnotes Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Maureen I. Harris, NIDDK/NIH, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Rm. 695, MSC5460, Bethesda, MD 20892-5460. E-mail: mh63q{at}nih.gov . Received for publication 29 September 2000 and accepted in revised form 30 January 2001. A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.