Ambulatory glucose profile as an educational tool in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

A 60-year-old male patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) since the last two years was presented in the clinic with repeated falls. He was on dietary treatment and was also taking metformin 500 mg twice daily, on and off. His Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) was 116 mg/dL, Postprandial Glucose (PPG) was 140 mg/dL and Glycosylated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) was 6.4%. The complete glycaemic profile obtained from the first Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP) revealed that the patient was not having hypoglycaemia and has very minimal glucose fluctuations without any post-prandial excursions. The visual cue obtained from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) / AGP enabled physicians to better inform the patient on the effects of medication and lifestyle on diabetes, thereby allowing the patient to make informed treatment and lifestyle modifications. This case study sheds light on the need to recommend AGP in such cases to provide insights on the glucose trends, thereby improve patient’s confidence in the therapy, with lifestyle modification.