CGM Roundup: Mental Health Impact, Landscape of Innovation, and More

Type 2 Diabetes Impacts Mental Health, but Continuous Glucose Monitors Can Help

A report from Dexcom found that depression and anxiety are commonly reported in patients living with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can make disease management easier. Some of the reasons given for why respondents find it hard to manage diabetes daily included getting less sleep, not liking injecting insulin in public, finding it hard or forgetting to inject at times, and finding it difficult to manage all the necessary medications. However, 40% of respondents said that being able to see glucose numbers in real time and having access to a CGM would have the most positive impact on their T2D.

Woman using continuous glucose monitor / Andrey Popov - stock.adobe.com

New Evaluation Standards Needed to Sustain Diabetes Technology Innovation

Since diabetes technology innovation, combined with strong patient demand, has outpaced current evaluation methods, investigators are calling for new assessment approaches that “keep up with the times.” Challenges of assessment arise amidst a growing demand for diabetes technology, with an estimated 350,000 and 2.4 million people with diabetes using insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors as of 2021, respectively. With the global number of diabetes cases expected to rise, the need for efficient and reliable methods to evaluate these technologies is only getting larger.

CGM, Exercise Can Improve Health Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

Patients with T2D who used CGMs combined with regular exercise had improved fasting glucose and 2 hours-postprandial glucose levels. Authors of the study, which found that pairing CGM-use and exercise together could improve self-care behaviors and reduce the risk of long-term health complications in patients with T2D, also said that the findings could “substantially mitigate the financial burdens associated with diabetes management.”

CGM Becoming Standard of Care in Hospital Settings

Overtaking the use of capillary glucose testing in a hospital setting, researchers suggest CGM be the standard of care for inpatient diabetes management. While they identified a need for more research on CGM use for hospitalized patients, researchers confirmed its increased efficacy within an inpatient setting and its revolutionary history as the premier tool for diabetes management. However, with new CGM technology and its introduction into hospital settings, comes a change in protocols and procedures for inpatient care.

Insulin App Recall Prompts FDA Warning After More Than 200 Reported Injuries

Earlier this month, Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc, a medical device manufacturer, issued a voluntary recall of a mobile insulin management app due to a software malfunction that led to more than 200 confirmed injuries. The reason for the recall is a software malfunction that can cause the device to repeatedly crash and restart. This loop drains the insulin pump’s battery faster than usual, which could lead to the pump shutting down unexpectedly. Unexpected pump shutdowns cause interruptions in insulin delivery, putting users at risk of hyperglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis, due to dysregulation.

READ MORE: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Resource Center

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