Evaluation of the mean absolute glucose change as a measure of glycemic variability using continuous glucose

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Klaus-Dieter Kohnert1, Peter Heinke, Gert Fritzsche

  • 1Gerhardt Katsch Institute of Diabetes, Karlsburg, 17495, Germany. kohnert@diabetes-karlsburg.de

Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics
|April 5, 2013
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Mean Absolute Glucose (MAG) change is a valid glycemic variability (GV) index with frequent glucose monitoring. However, it offers no advantages over existing GV measures for diabetes management.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Glycemic variability (GV) is crucial in diabetes management.
  • Mean Absolute Glucose (MAG) change is a proposed GV metric needing validation.
  • Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) data enables GV assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Validate the Mean Absolute Glucose (MAG) change metric.
  • Assess MAG change's correlation with established GV measures.
  • Evaluate MAG change's utility in diabetes control.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 72-h CGM data from 815 outpatients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
  • Compared MAG change with SD, IQR, MAGE, and CONGA indices.
  • Assessed MAG change using 5-min, 60-min, and seven-point sampling intervals.

Main Results:

  • Strong linear correlations (r=0.587-0.809) found between MAG change and classical GV markers.
  • Weak correlations observed between MAG change and HbA1c (r=0.246) or mean glucose (r=0.378).
  • MAG change magnitude decreased non-linearly with increased sampling intervals.

Conclusions:

  • MAG change is a valid GV index when using frequent CGM data (e.g., 5-min intervals).
  • MAG change does not offer superior insights compared to existing GV indices.
  • The utility of MAG change is limited by the frequency of glucose measurements.

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