Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus on Peritoneal Dialysis: Correlation with Glycated Hemoglobin and Detection of High Incidence of Unaware Hypoglycemia

Introduction: Glycated hemoglobin is used to assess diabetic control although its accuracy in dialysis has been questioned. How does it compare to the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients? Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 60 insulin-treated diabetic patients on PD. We determined the mean interstitial glucose concentration and the proportion of patients with hypoglycemia (11 mmol/l). Results: The correlation between HbA1c and glucose was 0.48, p < 0.0001. Three of 15 patients with HbA1c >75 mmol/mol experienced significant hypoglycemia (14-144 min per day). The patients with frequent episodes of hypoglycemia could not be differentiated from those with frequent hyperglycemia by demographics or PD prescription. Conclusion: HbA1c and average glucose levels measured by the CGMS are only weakly correlated. On its own, HbA1c as an indicator of glycemic control in patients with diabetes on PD appears inadequate. We suggest that the CGMS technology should be more widely adopted.