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Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a minimally invasive method of measuring sugar levels in the interstitial fluid of the subcutaneous tissue. A glucose sensor is used to take either continuous (real-time CGM systems; rtCGM) or intermittent (flash glucose monitoring, FGM, intermittent glucose monitoring; iscCGM) measures that are then transmitted to a receiving device. CGM makes it possible to measure sugar levels without the need for blood samples and is particularly useful for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (AGPD 2015, DDG 2018). Since 2016, the costs of CGM devices have been covered by statutory health insurers (G-BA 2016).
Indikatoren_ScreenreaderHinweis_Datentabelle
Indikatoren_ScreenreaderHinweis_Datentabelle
Indikatoren_ScreenreaderHinweis_Datentabelle
Indikatoren_ScreenreaderHinweis_Datentabelle
Indikatoren_ScreenreaderHinweis_Datentabelle
In 2022, the prevalence of CGM use among children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years with type 1 diabetes was 94.9% (girls: 95.0%; boys: 94.8%). With increasing age, the use of CGM decreases from 96.8% among under 3-year-olds to 93.7% among 14- to 17-year-olds. Before 2016, the frequency of CGM use was low (4.2% in 2014 and 6.3% in 2015). Since 2016, the use of CGM has increased sharply every year. There were hardly any discernible sex differences in the use of CGM over the entire observation period 2014 to 2022. The difference in the use of CGM between under 3-year-olds and 14- to 17-year-olds decreased from 47.3 percentage points in 2016 to 3.1 percentage points in 2022.
Almost all children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Germany currently use a CGM. There are hardly any differences in CGM use between boys and girls, and the differences between the age groups have narrowed over time. The use of CGM has increased significantly since 2016. It can be assumed that the reimbursement of costs by the statutory health insurers, which was introduced in 2016 (G-BA 2016), plays a decisive role in the rapid increase in CGM use, as does the development of new, user-friendly devices. The aim of CGM systems is to improve blood glucose control and, in particular, to prevent hypoglycaemia (Kamusheva et al. 2021). The effects of CGM use on glucose control and the safety of therapy in children and adolescents should be further investigated in the future.