Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in Kidney-Transplanted Adults

Summary

Pre-existing diabetes prior KT and Early Post-Transplant Hyperglycemia (PTRH) defined as a fasting blood glucose greater than or equal to 126 mg/dL or random glucose greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL or requirement of insulin during the first 45 days after KT has been associated with increased risks of post-transplant organ rejection. PTRH has also been associated to high infection rates, and in some cases, early mortality. The use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) compared with blood glucose meter monitoring in non-transplant patients with diabetes resulted in lower HbA1C by 0.4 to 0.5% within the first three months of use without major changes in patients' antidiabetic regimen, possibly due to patients become more conscious about their diabetes status and diet. CGM free style libre-2 measures the interstitial fluid every minute and their glucose sensors are replaced every two weeks. To our knowledge there are no studies that assess the role of CGM in improving glycemic and transplant outcomes in solid organ transplant patients, mainly because access to CGM is often limited by inadequate health insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket costs.

The investigators hypothesize that the intervention will be feasible and acceptable to patients, and our overarching hypothesis is that patients who wear a CGM will have better glycemic control, using a proxy measure of lower fructosamine/albumin ratio and better CGM-parameters, compared to those who did not wear it. Fructosamine represents the average glycemia for the 2 to 3 weeks prior. It is useful in any situation where glycemic control needs to be assessed over a period shorter than a month and in cases involving interference in the HbA1C measurement such as in adults with KT due to shorter red blood cell lifespan related to anemia of chronic disease. Fructosamine values vary in relation to the serum albumin concentration, which makes the fructosamine/albumin ratio the ideal physiologic measure for this pilot study . The investigators also hypothesize that patients who wear a CGM will have less microalbuminuria compared to those who did not wear it.

Conditions

• Diabetes Mellitus
• Kidney Transplant; Complications

Interventions

DEVICE

Free style libre-2

A cross-over design will allow estimation of feasibility and acceptability of patients using CGM vs patients using blood glucose meter monitoring (conventional therapy). The study will consist on two phases, the first will last three months, then it will be a two months of washout period followed by the crossover, then the second phase will last another three months. Patients in the conventional therapy group will also use masked CGM (CGM professional) during the first two and last two weeks of their study phase with the purpose of collecting CGM-parameters information. The cross over randomization will be stratified by donor type (live vs deceased) using a web-based randomization tool. During the washout period the patients will continue using blood glucose meter monitoring

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alabama at Birmingham

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-04-15

Primary Completion

2024-05-20

Completion

2024-05-20

FDA Device

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations