Brief Report: Increased technology use associated with lower A1C in a large pediatric clinical population
Objective
While continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pumps, and hybrid-closed-loop (HCL) systems each improve glycemic control in type 1 diabetes, it is unclear how use of these technologies impact real-world pediatric care.
Research Design and Methods
Of patients <22 years of age with type 1 diabetes duration >3 months at a single center in 2016-2017 (n=2827) and 2020-2021 (n=2731), 1455 had data in both time periods. Patients were grouped by multiple daily injections (MDI) or insulin pump with or without HCL and using a blood glucose monitor or CGM. Glycemic control was compared using linear mixed effects models adjusting for age, diabetes duration, and race/ethnicity.
Results
CGM use increased from 32.9% to 75.3%; HCL increased from 0.3% to 27.9%. Overall A1C decreased from 8.9% to 8.6% (p<0.0001).
Conclusions
Adoption of CGM and HCL was associated with decreased A1C, suggesting promotion of these technologies may yield glycemic benefits.