Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Studies have shown that glycemic variability is associated with oxidative stress which in turn has been correlated with endothelial damage. Further, endothelial damage has been identified as a critical event lending way to the vascular complications seen in many disease states. The specific aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between short-term glycemic variability and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction while analyzing the influence of different variables and adjusting for covariates. Data obtained from a continuous glucose monitoring system(CGMS), a device that continuously records interstitial glucose for a 72 hour period, is used to calculate glycemic variability. Serology for the determination of endothelial dysfunction biomarkers is obtained on day three. Pearson and Spearman Rank Order correlations are utilized to determine whether there are any significant correlations between measures of glycemic variability and biomarker levels of endothelial dysfunction. Multiple regression analysis would also determine if glycemic variability predicts elevated biomarker levels even after controlling for other variables. Provided the high prevalence of diabetic complications and their staggering socioeconomic costs, it is important to elucidate the relationship between glycemic variability and endothelial dysfunction.