Glycemic Variability and Its Association with Traditional Glycemic Control Biomarkers in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional, Multicenter Study

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Glycemic variability (GV) is a novel concept in the assessment of the quality of glycemic control in patients with diabetes, with its importance emphasized in patients with type 1 diabetes. Its adoption in clinical practice emerged with the increased availability of continuous glycemic monitoring systems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the GV in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and to assess its associations with other parameters used to evaluate the glycemic control. <b>Methods:</b> GV indexes and classical glycemic control markers were analyzed for 147 adult patients with T1DM in a multicentric cross-sectional study. <b>Results:</b> Stable glycemia was associated with a higher time in range (TIR) (78% vs. 63%; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and a lower HbA1c (6.8% vs. 7.1%; <i>p</i> = 0.006). The coefficient of variation (CV) was reversely correlated with TIR (Spearman's r = -0.513; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and positively correlated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (Spearman's r = 0.349; <i>p</i> < 0.001), while TIR was reversely correlated with HbA1c (Spearman's r = -0.637; <i>p</i> < 0.001). The composite GV and metabolic outcome was achieved by 28.6% of the patients. <b>Conclusions:</b> Stable glycemia was associated with a lower HbA1c, average and SD of blood glucose, and a higher TIR. A TIR higher than 70% was associated with a lower HbA1c, and SD and average blood glucose. Only 28.6% of the patients with T1DM achieved the composite GV and metabolic outcome, despite 53.7% of them achieving the HbA1c target, emphasizing thus the role of GV in the assessment of the glycemic control.