Drivers with diabetes are safer on the road if they are using a continuous glucose monitoring device that alerts them when their blood sugar levels drop, new evidence has shown.
Researchers from Japan have found that people with diabetes feel more confident in driving when they are using a CGM device that notifies them when their blood sugar levels are low.
Otherwise known as hypoglycaemia, low blood sugar causes impaired judgment, which can lead to traffic accidents when driving.
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CGM devices help people living with diabetes manage their glucose levels by alerting them when their glucose levels fall below a threshold level.
During the study, the team of researchers analysed the effectiveness of CGM devices for reducing hypoglycaemia in insulin-treated drivers with diabetes.
As part of the trial, the participants used a CGM with the low-glucose alert active for four weeks, followed by a ‘no-alert period’ for four weeks where the CGM was used without the low-glucose alert function.
The research demonstrates that the participants were less likely to have a hypo while driving when they had alerts on compared to when they had alerts off.
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More than 60% of the participants felt more confident while driving when they had the low-glucose alerts turned on compared to when they were turned off, the results have reported.
Senior author Dr Hiroshi Arima said: “CGM with low-glucose alerts can potentially reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia for insulin-treated drivers.
“By monitoring glucose levels by CGM, most hypoglycaemic attacks could be avoided even when driving. Such systems are expected to make driving safer for people with diabetes.”
Read the full study in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
