Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Can Meet the Challenge of Glucose Management and Beyond in Individuals with...

The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) can be considered a global healthcare emergency, with far-reaching burdens on the health and well-being of people with diabetes, their carers and families, and the mounting costs within each national healthcare economy. Although application of diabetes technologies, such as insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, and a range of connected devices, is starting to have an impact on the outcomes of care for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), similar application for people with T2D is lagging behind. This is a purely cost-based decision, since evidence from numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-world studies has shown the significant clinical impact of diabetes technologies for people with T2D, whether they are on insulin therapy or not. Amongst available technologies, it is the lack of widespread access to CGM devices for people with T2D that is most pressing, as these systems have the potential to bring a quantum change in the way people with T2D and their healthcare professionals (HCPs) are supported to manage the adverse impact both of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Central to improving diabetes care for people with T2D is the demonstration in many studies that CGM can actively support healthy behavioral changes to meal planning and physical activity, with concomitant improvements in mental health and quality of life. In this expert opinion, we review the significant evidence base on which application of CGM in people with T2D is founded, and make the case for wider access for every person with diabetes as early as possible after diagnosis, in order to mitigate the global impact of T2D.