Glycemic Responses Measured At Different Body Sites At Rest And During Exercise In T1D

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices are becoming more and more popular among patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) since they seem to aid in the glycemic management. PURPOSE: This preliminary study aimed to examine possible differences in glycemic responses obtained from CGM sensors placed at different body sites at rest and during exercise in patients with T1D. METHODS: Two male and four female T1D patients (37.7 ± 6.5 yrs; BMI: 25.0 ± 1.6 kg/m2; years with diabetes: 15.8 ± 4.0, mean ± SE) wore two CGM devices (GlucoMen Day, Menarini), one on the arm (AR) and the other on the abdomen (AB) for one week. During that period, they also cycled for one hour at 75% heart rate maximum. Capillary blood samples were collected and analyzed for blood glucose during exercise as well as one-hour post-exercise. Glucose raw data from CGMs were analyzed for time in range (TIR) levels, ranging from <50 mg/dl up to >250 mg/dl. Sensor accuracy was determined by calculating the mean absolute relative difference (MARD) ([(abs CGM glucose – Capillary glucose)/capillary glucose]*100) during exercise and post-exercise. RESULTS: No differences were observed in the TIR between sites for values <50 mg/dl (AR: 1.1 ± 0.3 vs. AB: 0.5 ± 0.3 %), 50-70 mg/dl (AR: 5.1 ± 1.0 vs. AB: 3.6 ± 1.1 %), 71-180 mg/dl (AR: 63.6 ± 10.3 vs. AB: 60.9 ± 10.8 %), 181-250 mg/dl (AR: 18.1 ± 4.7 vs. AB: 22.2 ± 5.8 %) and > 250 mg/dl (AR: 12.1 ± 7.6 vs. AB: 12.7 ± 6.3 %). Also, no differences were observed in MARD during exercise (AR: 18.6 ± 7.7 vs. AB: 11.9 ± 5.2 %) and the one-hour recovery period (AR: 16.6 ± 7.5 vs. AB: 18.3 ± 7.6 %). CONCLUSION: This preliminary investigation showed that the GlucoMen Day CGM sensors placed on arm and abdomen provide similar TIR values at rest and MARD results during aerobic exercise and one-hour post-exercise.