About CGM
Is CGM for me?
The SEVEN PLUS
SEVEN System Stories
Get A Plus
DexCommunity
SEVEN System Tutorial

Why Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)?

CGM — the new standard

CGM has gained acceptance among diabetes experts as an effective tool for helping people achieve their diabetes goals1:
  • Achieve A1c targets without adding hypoglycemia2-4
  • Reduce glucose highs and lows2-4
  • Reduce hypoglycemia2-4

Between The Lines™ — Improving diabetes management

Over a decade ago, a landmark study called the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial — the largest study of its kind — revealed the importance of good glucose control. New, large-scale studies are revealing even more improvements in glucose control with the use of CGM technology.2 In a recent study, people who were considered to be in "good control" showed distinct improvements in time spent within their target zone while using a DexCom CGM device.5 And subjects who were considered to be in "poor control" before the study, had even more impressive improvements with a 70% increase in time they spent in their target zone.5

A recent study by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation showed that using a CGM, such as the SEVEN® PLUS, for at least 6 days a week can lead to significant decreases in A1c and can provide a greater ability to reach the ADA recommended goal of 7%.2

Revealing unnoticed highs and lows

A CGM device can call attention to highs and lows that you may often experience, but not recognize.3-7 Sometimes people have "hypoglycemia unawareness" — they no longer feel their symptoms of going low. And some people are also unable to feel symptoms of high glucose. Over time, frequently swerving outside of your target range can lead to severe consequences, such as damage to your nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.8,9

CGM vs. A1c and fingersticks

A1c tests taken by your doctor have long been considered the gold standard for a test of glucose control. However, because A1c is an average of glucose levels over time, a person can have major highs and lows every day, yet still have a "good" A1c level. This is one reason why recent clinical trials reveal that A1c tests alone do not necessarily correlate to good diabetic control.7 It is also important to know that the more often you are outside your target range, the higher your risk of diabetes-related complications.8,9

Recent studies reveal that fingerstick testing alone does not provide enough information to stay within their target range — even people who monitor frequently.2-6 In contrast, the use of a CGM device does a better job of helping people to Stay Between The Lines® .4



References:
  1. Standards of medical care in diabetes — 2009. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2009;32 Suppl 1:S13-61.
  2. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Continuous Glucose Monitoring Study Group (2008) Continuous glucose monitoring and intensive treatment of type 1 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(14):1464-1476.
  3. Garg S, Zisser H, Schwartz S, et al. Improvement in glycemic excursions with a transcutaneous, real-time continuous glucose sensor: a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(1):44-50.
  4. Garg SK, Kelly WC, Voelmle MK, et al. Continuous home monitoring of glucose: improved glycemic control with real-life use of continuous glucose sensors in adult subjects with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(12):3023-3025.
  5. Garg S, Jovanovic L. Relationship of fasting and hourly blood glucose levels to HbA1c values: safety, accuracy, and improvements in glucose profiles obtained using a 7-day continuous glucose sensor. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(12):2644-2649.
  6. Brauker JH, Edelman SV. The function of continuous glucose sensors: How and why seeing glucose as a function of time enables proactive management decisions to avoid highs and lows. Rev Endo. May 2007.
  7. Hirsch IB. Glycemic variability: it's not just about A1C anymore! Diabetes Technol Ther. 2005;7(5):780-783.
  8. Hirsch IB, Brownlee M. The effect of glucose variability on the risk of microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(1):186-187.
  9. Gerich JE, Odawara M, Terauchi Y. The rationale for paired pre- and postprandial self-monitoring of blood glucose: the role of glycemic variability in micro- and macrovascular risk. Curr Med Res Opin. 2007;23(8):1791-1798.