CGM & GLP-1: 10 Continuous Glucose Monitor Questions an Endocrinologist Answers

Number one is what is a continuous glucose monitor? What is a CGM and does it actually work? okay let's start at the beginning a continuous glucose monitor or cgm is a small sensor you wear usually in the back of your arm side of your arm or even around the abdomen now it's very important to know that cgm as a device a continuous glucose monitor we've had these for more than a decade especially for patients with type 1 diabetes and then it got approved for patients with type 2 diabetes on insulin And in outpatient practice, we as endocrinologists, we tend to use it, prescribe it for literally all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are even diagnosed because these tools can be really helpful.

Now, today, I'm also relating to many of you who have these questions.

If I don't have diabetes, can I use a continuous glucose monitor and will that benefit me? So I'm going to share what the evidence-based data science tells us versus what can be some practical tips and tools for you to take home about continuous glucose monitors.

Okay.

Now, when you know what a CGN is, it is also very important.

What is it telling you? We commonly just label glucose as blood glucose, but this is very important for you to know that when you go to a lab, you get your blood test done, you're getting a venous blood glucose checked, which is an actual blood glucose and pretty reliable.

And that's what we use to make a diagnosis for high glucose, for low glucose, or even for postprandial elevations or after meal elevations.

if you are using a blood glucose meter at home which is checking capillary blood glucose meter meaning you're taking a lancet and you're pricking your finger and you're using a strip and that shows that you're actively collecting blood so that that strip can detect what is the glucose in that capillary blood and now we have sensor glucose which is our topic for discussion today sensor glucose or sensors detect glucose from your interstitial fluid a fluid lingering around your or underneath your skin so these sensors when they're placed in are helping a filament to get inserted underneath your skin so that it can constantly detect glucose from that interstitial fluid every three to five minutes okay so sensor glucose is interstitial fluid glucose not blood glucose and that is why we don't use continuous glucose model readings for a specific diagnosis the patterns are very useful for changes to medications for identifying uh problems with glucose variations glucose fluctuations Now I'm going to come back to individuals who do not have diabetes, be it gestational diabetes, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, mellitus, and are interested in learning about continuous glucose monitors or sensors.

okay now since we know what our sense of glucose is we'll get to question number two do you need a continuous glucose monitor if you're not dealing with diabetes of any form is it worth it before i answer this question We have a continuous glucose monitor series, short videos for you on our YouTube channel.

So definitely watch them, share those.

It also walks you through what are the different factors affecting glucose, how to place them, and just more nuances on the differences between blood glucose and sensitive glucose that I just walked you through for question number one.

Number one is what is a continuous glucose monitor? What is a CGM and does it actually work? okay let's start at the beginning a continuous glucose monitor or cgm is a small sensor you wear usually in the back of your arm side of your arm or even around the abdomen now it's very important to know that cgm as a device a continuous glucose monitor we've had these for more than a decade especially for patients with type 1 diabetes and then it got approved for patients with type 2 diabetes on insulin And in outpatient practice, we as endocrinologists, we tend to use it, prescribe it for literally all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are even diagnosed because these tools can be really helpful.

Now, today, I'm also relating to many of you who have these questions.

If I don't have diabetes, can I use a continuous glucose monitor and will that benefit me? So I'm going to share what the evidence-based data science tells us versus what can be some practical tips and tools for you to take home about continuous glucose monitors.

Okay.

Now, when you know what a CGN is, it is also very important.

What is it telling you? We commonly just label glucose as blood glucose, but this is very important for you to know that when you go to a lab, you get your blood test done, you're getting a venous blood glucose checked, which is an actual blood glucose and pretty reliable.

And that's what we use to make a diagnosis for high glucose, for low glucose, or even for postprandial elevations or after meal elevations.

if you are using a blood glucose meter at home which is checking capillary blood glucose meter meaning you're taking a lancet and you're pricking your finger and you're using a strip and that shows that you're actively collecting blood so that that strip can detect what is the glucose in that capillary blood and now we have sensor glucose which is our topic for discussion today sensor glucose or sensors detect glucose from your interstitial fluid a fluid lingering around your or underneath your skin so these sensors when they're placed in are helping a filament to get inserted underneath your skin so that it can constantly detect glucose from that interstitial fluid every three to five minutes okay so sensor glucose is interstitial fluid glucose not blood glucose and that is why we don't use continuous glucose model readings for a specific diagnosis the patterns are very useful for changes to medications for identifying uh problems with glucose variations glucose fluctuations Now I'm going to come back to individuals who do not have diabetes, be it gestational diabetes, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, mellitus, and are interested in learning about continuous glucose monitors or sensors.

okay now since we know what our sense of glucose is we'll get to question number two do you need a continuous glucose monitor if you're not dealing with diabetes of any form is it worth it before i answer this question We have a continuous glucose monitor series, short videos for you on our YouTube channel.

So definitely watch them, share those.

It also walks you through what are the different factors affecting glucose, how to place them, and just more nuances on the differences between blood glucose and sensitive glucose that I just walked you through for question number one.