Flash glucose monitoring is proven in randomized clinical trials to reduce the amount of time that people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes spend in hypoglycemia, with glucose below 3.9 mmol/L (70 mg/dL). Here we report a meta-analysis of real world observational studies on the impact of flash glucose monitoring on glycemic control as measured by HbA1c. A series of 17 studies were identified as reporting longitudinal HbA1c data in a total 1338 participants with type 1 (n=1112) or type 2 diabetes (n=226) using the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system. Data included observations on children, adolescents and adults. The studies were reported in peer-reviewed published manuscripts, congress poster presentations and in-press data.

Meta-analysis of change in HbA1c was performed using trial as a random effect and weighting with the inverse of the within trial variance. Overall mean change in HbA1c was -0.56, 95% CI (-0.76, -0.36), with substantial heterogeneity between trials (I2=92.6%). Meta-regression was performed with the covariate initial HbA1c and treating trial as a random effect (Figure). No significant differences were detected based on length of study, type of diabetes (type 1 vs. type 2) or children vs. adults.
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Disclosure

A. Seibold: Employee; Self; Abbott. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Abbott. Z.K. Welsh: Employee; Self; Abbott. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Abbott, AbbVie Inc. S. Ells: Employee; Self; Abbott. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Abbott. C. Schlaeger: Employee; Self; Abbott. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Roche Pharma.

© 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.
2018
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