High glycemic variability is associated with diabetic complications and hypoglycemia, and can be improved by continuous glucose monitoring and newer antidiabetic agents like GLP-1RAs and SGLT-2is.
Do therapeutic strategies to reduce glycemic variability prevent diabetic complications in patients with diabetes mellitus?
Glycemic variability is an important metric beyond HbA1c that is associated with diabetic complications, highlighting the need for therapies that minimize glucose fluctuations.
The goal of diabetes treatment is to maintain good glycemic control, prevent the development and progression of diabetic complications, and ensure the same quality of life and life expectancy as healthy people. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is used as an index of glycemic control, but strict glycemic control using HbA1c as an index may lead to severe hypoglycemia and cardiovascular death. Glycemic variability (GV), such as excessive hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, is associated with diabetic vascular complications and has been recognized as an important index of glycemic control. Here, we reviewed the definition and evaluated the clinical usefulness of GV, and its relationship with diabetic complications and therapeutic strategies to reduce GV.
Kusunoki et al. (Fri,) conducted a review in Diabetes Mellitus. High glycemic variability is associated with diabetic complications and hypoglycemia, and can be improved by continuous glucose monitoring and newer antidiabetic agents like GLP-1RAs and SGLT-2is.