Role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Supporting Glycemic Control Among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study

TL;DR

This study shows that continuous glucose monitoring helps slightly improve blood sugar control in teenagers with type 1 diabetes in Saudi Arabia.

Contribution

The study is one of the first to evaluate CGM effectiveness in high-risk adolescents with T1D in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

CGM led to a small but significant decrease in HbA1c levels after three months.

Hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis were reported by a significant portion of patients.

Improvements in glycemic control were not linked to age, gender, or other patient factors.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has emerged as an important tool for the improvement of glycemic control in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, its use has not been greatly explored among adolescents with special physiological and psychosocial challenges. This study evaluated the role of CGM in supporting glycemic control among high-risk adolescents with T1D in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted among 73 adolescents aged 12–19 with T1D and baseline HbA1c ≥ 9% treated at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were extracted from electronic health records over a three-month period. The HbA1c levels before and after CGM use were analyzed using paired t-tests. In addition, analyses included studying the correlations and regression models and assessing associations between changes in HbA1c and patient characteristics. Results: Mean HbA1c was significantly reduced from 9.48 ± 2.22% to 9.06 ± 1.91% following three months of CGM, with an average decrease of −0.42 ± 1.37%, p = 0.011. Changes in HbA1c did not correlate with various patient factors of interest: age, gender, body mass index, disease duration, and insulin type. Within a specified timeframe, 54.8% of patients reported hypoglycemia, and 38.4% reported diabetic ketoacidosis. Conclusions: CGM resulted in a small but statistically significant improvement in glycemic control in adolescents with T1D. Given such results, these findings highlight the need for larger, long-term trials to optimize CGM use in this vulnerable population, particularly through integrating advanced features (e.g., predictive alarms) and structured education programs to reduce hypoglycemia and DKA risks. Effective integration of CGM in daily diabetes management may lead to better long-term clinical outcomes and improved quality of life for adolescents.