The Use of a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System in Hypoglycemic Disorders

Abstract

To evaluate the use of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in the evaluation and treatment of infants and children with hypoglycemic disorders. Patients with hypoglycemic disorders wore the CGMS device in the Pediatric Clinic Research Center during their evaluation and treatment. Capillary blood glucose (CBG) values were obtained at least 3 times each day and entered into the device for calibration purposes. We evaluated the number of hypoglycemic episodes below 3.3 mmol/l (60 mg/dl) detected by CGMS compared to CBG values and characterized episodes by their duration and intensity. Five patients with hypoglycemic disorders were included in the study. There were a total of 13,369 sensor points, 343 paired sensor and CBG data points, and 57 days included. A total of 180 episodes of hypoglycemia occurred in these five patients, with an average duration of 55 +/- 13 minutes. Using a cut-off of 3.3 mmol/l (60 mg/dl) for hypoglycemia, the sensor had a sensitivity of 65.4%, specificity of 90.6%, and false positive rate of 42.9%. The positive and negative predictive values were 57.1% and 93.2%, respectively. CGMS is a useful adjunct in the diagnosis and evaluation of hypoglycemia, and for documentation of euglycemia in these patients following therapy.