Metabolic rhythms in adolescents with diabetes

Metabolic rhythms were studied over 24 hours in eight adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes before and two months after attempting to improve diabetic control with home blood glucose monitoring. A significant improvement in blood glucose concentration was observed, although 24 hour mean concentrations remained grossly abnormal. This improvement was accompanied by significant falls in blood glycerol and total ketone bodies concentrations and a significant rise in blood lactate concentration. Without attention to other factors affecting diabetic control, the introduction of home blood glucose monitoring produces only a small improvement in control.