Continuous glucose monitoring devices in people over 65 years: literature review

Background: the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in elderly patients with diabetes is not well documented. The present study search to know the current status of use of CGM devices in patients with diabetes over 65 years of age.

Methods: a systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Scopus databases in November 2023. The following descriptors were used, linked using the Boolean operators AND and OR: Diabetes, Continuous glucose monitoring, Flash glucose monitoring, Glycemia, Glycemic control, Controlled diabetes, Diabetes care, Metrics, Older and Elder. The CASPe critical reading system and the PRISMA methodology were applied to document the review.

Results: fourteen selected studies published between 2019 and 2023 were reviewed. Publications from European countries used small sample sizes and were intervention studies. The duration of the interventions was generally short: 7 were ≤14 days in duration and only 3 were 6-12 months in duration. Overall, the selected articles found that CGM improved glycemic outcomes due to a decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin value and an improvement in CGM metrics, and diabetes-associated complications in elderly patients with diabetes.

Conclusions: CGM seems to be a useful and effective tool to improving glycemic outcomes of people with diabetes over age 65. Further studies under real-world conditions and of longer duration are needed to expand and improve the evidence.