Aims: This systematic review aims to evaluate the effect of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on maternal and neonatal outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Methods: Two authors conducted a systematic search using PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The inclusion criteria for the systematic review were randomized clinical trials that compared the effects of CGM and blood glucose monitoring (BGM) in women with GDM. A restricted maximum likelihood random-effects model was used for the meta-analysis. The measures of effect were risk ratios for categorical data and mean differences for continuous data.
Results: Of the 457 studies reviewed, six randomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. A total of 482 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The use of CGM was associated with lower HbA1c levels at the end of pregnancy (mean difference: -0.22; 95%CI -0.42 to -0.03) compared to BGM. Women using CGM also had less gestational weight gain (mean difference: -1.17, 95%CI -2.15 to -0.19), and their children had lower birth weight (mean difference: -116.26, 95%CI -224.70 to -7.81). No differences were observed in the other outcomes evaluated.
Conclusion: Women with GDM using CGM may achieve lower average blood glucose levels, lower maternal weight gain and infant birth weight than women using BGM. Nevertheless, current evidence is limited by the low number of studies and the small sample sizes of these studies. Larger clinical trials are needed to better understand the effects of CGM in GDM.
Registration: PROSPERO registration ID CRD42021225651.
Keywords: Gestational diabetes mellitus; blood glucose monitoring; continuous glucose monitoring; maternal outcomes; neonatal outcomes.
© 2021 Diabetes UK.