Variation of glucose time in range in type 1 diabetes

Introduction The aim of the study was to assess the variation of glucose time in range (TIR) for persons with type 1 diabetes who perform intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM). Methods Glucose data for 8 weeks were analysed for 166 persons. TIR was calculated over four consecutive 2 weeks periods. Sixty-one of the persons had two downloads with an interval of >3 months. Results A total of 140 individuals (84%) used multiple daily injection, and 26 (16%) used continuous insulin infusion. The within-individual standard deviation (SD) for TIR was 6.3% corresponding to 95% limits of agreement for the difference between two TIR values of +/- 17.6%. Mean TIR calculated from the first and last 2 weeks was 52.2 +/- 17.1% and 53.7 +/- 16.4%, respectively (difference 1.5%, SD of the difference 10.4%, p = .07). For persons with two downloads separated by months, the SD of the difference in TIR was 12.6%. Conclusions The 95% limit of agreement for TIR is vast for persons using isCGM. It is difficult to draw firm conclusions regarding systematic differences when individual TIR from 2 weeks are compared. This may not be valid for users of insulin pumps with closed-loop insulin delivery.