JUNE 2020
ELIZA SKOLER, JIMMY MCDERMOTT, MATTHEW GARZA, DIVYA GOPISETTY, FRIDA VELCANI, EMILY FITTS, KARENA YAN, JOSEPH BELL, LORENA BERGSTROM, AND ROSALIND LUCIER
The Biggest News in Diabetes Technology, Drugs, and Nutrition: Highlights from ADA 2020
An exciting study examined the success of the Glucommander insulin dosage software for people with type 2 diabetes on multiple daily injections (MDI) of insulin. Glucommander is an algorithm that helps people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals manage blood glucose levels in both hospital and home settings, using data-driven insulin dosage recommendations. This study focused on the personal use of the software at home.
The study included 25 people with type 2 diabetes who had A1Cs over 8%. The Freestyle Libre 14-day continuous glucose monitor (CGM) was used to measure their blood glucose levels. Participants first received training on multiple daily injection (MDI) basal-bolus insulin dosage, glucose sensors, and nutritional choices. Once they began using Glucommander, the software adjusted recommended insulin doses based on weekly CGM data for four weeks. Participants also received personalized daily meal plans to help them meet their target weight and time in range goals.
The results were positive:
- The time in range of participants improved week after week throughout the study; overall, the average time in range increased from 48% at the beginning of the study to almost 74% after four weeks.
- Cases of severe hyperglycemia (blood glucose levels greater than 250 mg/dl) decreased by 19%.
- Cases of severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose levels lower than 54 mg/dl) decreased by 0.4%. Although this may seem small, it comes out to nearly 40 minutes per week!
- Total daily insulin use increased by an average of 15.1%, including a 10.5% increase in basal insulin and a 19.7% increase in bolus insulin. This indicates that participants needed to be taking slightly higher doses of insulin to reach their time in range goals.
The results suggest that Glucommander may be a promising option for helping people with type 2 diabetes on MDI basal-bolus insulin improve their blood glucose management outside of clinical settings.
— This excerpt originally appeared in an article on diaTribe.org.
ECO #0896-A