Associations of mean glucose and time in range (70-180 mg/dL) from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) with HbA1c in adults with type 2 diabetes are not well characterized. We conducted a secondary analysis of 186 participants from the Hyperglycemic Profiles in Obstructive Sleep Apnea (HYPNOS) trial. Participants simultaneously wore Dexcom G4 and Abbott Libre Pro CGM sensors up to 4 weeks. Mean HbA1c was 7.7% (SD, 1.3). There were strong negative Pearson's correlations of HbA1c with CGM time in range (-0.79, Abbott; -0.81, Dexcom) and strong positive correlations with CGM mean glucose (Dexcom, 0.84; Abbott, 0.82). However, there were large differences in CGM mean glucose (±20 mg/dL) and time in range (±14%) at any given HbA1c value. Mean glucose and HbA1c are strongly correlated in type 2 diabetes patients not taking insulin but discordance is evident at the individual level. Clinicians should expect discordance and use HbA1c and CGM in a complementary manner. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02454153.
Keywords: Continuous glucose monitoring; HbA1c; Mean glucose; Type 2 diabetes; Variability.