Continuous Glucose Monitoring Vs Blood Glucose Monitoring: Do We Have A Winner Here?

Choose Any Monitoring Option Only After Careful Deliberation

A number of tests help us diagnose diabetes and confirm its presence. Once an individual becomes a diabetic, the need for such testing doesn’t stop but becomes a continuous process. Only then we can  be sure of controlled blood glucose levels in our body and avoid any hazardous consequences. Glucose monitoring is suggested for individuals suffering from diabetes to help them manage their health. Making use of monitoring devices is a good way to understand whether the sugar levels in the body are too low or high as neither of them are good for health.
 
Getting a good understanding of your blood glucose levels is inevitable to know how your lifestyle routines, food habits, exercise activities, and medications impact diabetes. Every time there is a need to check the glucose levels, you cannot rush to the laboratory. These days, many individuals have glucometers at their home—with a small prick, the meter tells the blood glucose readings. But, off late, another new device has made its grand entry into the healthcare industry—none other than continuous monitoring devices or CGMs that have become the latest passion among diabetics.
 
What’s the difference between blood glucose monitoring and continuous glucose monitoring? Which of the two is better for long-term use and practical application? Read further to understand better. But before choosing any monitoring device, it is recommended to talk to your healthcare physician to know whether or not you must check blood glucose levels regularly—this is mainly because such devices and monitoring systems are recommended only for some individuals including pregnant women, individuals taking insulin, having low blood sugar levels, finding difficulty in reaching necessary blood glucose levels, or those whose levels shoot up or drop suddenly without any notice.
 
Blood Glucose Monitoring (BGM)
 
BGM looks out for specific patterns/changes in blood glucose readings as a result of exercise, dietary restrictions, and medications. If you take a blood glucose test at home, it is generally referred to as a capillary blood glucose test (CBG) where a small blood sample is collected with the prick of a finger using a lancet. BGM can be done using a glucometer, a lancet, and test strips. Glucometers these days are sophisticated needing just a teeny tiny drop of blood and have bluetooth compatibility to synchronize data onto smartphones using paired apps. There are some apps that go a step further and help in recording the meals consumed, types of physical activity performed, and the medication doses taken, thereby giving a clear history to the physician to decide upon the next course of treatment.
 
Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)
 
Helping to monitor blood sugar levels 24 hours a day, CGM is used these days by very many people irrespective of understanding whether or not it is essential to use it. Want to check the glucose levels this very minute, simply peep into your CGM readings as the device takes a reading every 5-15 minutes. It works with the help of a tiny sensor that’s placed under the skin of your belly or arms generally. The sensor tracks the intestinal blood sugar readings every couple of minutes and sends the data to the monitor, a standalone device or a part of your insulin pump that must be carried along with you.
 
Besides blood glucose readings, the device also keeps track of diet, medications, and physical activity performed. The user is informed about too high or low blood glucose levels using an alarm sound. There are some models which can send the notification to a second person, maybe a parent in case the user is a child, or in general, a partner or a caretaker.
 
Earlier, only doctors were able to view the readings but now, the data is simply available to the user directly on the smartphone, on a handheld device (like a smartphone), or an insulin pump depending on the type of the device. The sensor must be replaced every 7-14 days depending on the type of the device. There are a couple of long-term CGM devices for which the physician changes the sensor at their clinic a couple of times annually.
 
Difference Between A CGM & BGM
 

• While the CGM measures the blood glucose levels in the interstitial fluid (present between the cells in the body), BGM measures the glucose level in the blood. Hence, the measurements of both aren’t the same always as the measurements are done in two different body parts.
• A CGM machine is comparatively complex to understand and use compared to BGM. It takes some time to get a hang of the device, understand its technical aspects, and insert the sensor correctly.
• A CGM shows the reading taken 5-10 minutes back but a fingerstick check shows accurate readings as it measures the sugar levels in the blood unlike a CGM that measures blood sugar levels under the skin
• Accuracy-wise, BGM is better on any given day compared to a CGM
• While blood glucose monitoring provides accurate readings of instant blood glucose levels, it does not give any info about changes in the glucose levels over time. Whereas, CGM provides both present as well as changes in the glucose readings over time

 
It’s Time to Announce The Winner
 
Alas, there is no winner here as both the monitoring devices serve different purposes. While CGM is suggested for patients requiring insulin therapy and those who have erratic blood glucose levels, many don’t value CGM as an accurate measure as glucose makes its appearance in the blood before reaching the intestinal fluid. Also, CGM’s expensive costing doesn’t make it reachable for all.
 
But, getting data every 5 minutes or so makes it invaluable to individuals who need change in medications regularly as their blood sugar levels keep fluctuating often, have bouts of low glucose levels, and whose healthcare physician recommends using one. Else, it is essential to stick to BGM as its rate of accuracy is better, economical, and keeps you free from the stress of having to check the glucose levels often and getting anxious about the readings.
 
CGM can never be a total replacement for BGM or other monitors but can only coexist with them to reduce drastic effects of changing blood glucose levels. Apart from these, it is essential that individuals with diabetes follow a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, sleep well, and minimize stress to keep their blood sugar levels under control. Getting in touch with a reputed nutritionist/dietitian can make the diabetic’s job simpler as all that’s left to do is to follow the diet plan and lifestyle modifications suggested by the expert.