Introduction: This post hoc analysis examines the relationship between glycemic variability (GV) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) targets used to achieve glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) < 7%, and HbA1c levels after 24 weeks of treatment with insulin glargine and oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) in Chinese participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the BEYOND III FPG GOAL trial (NCT02545842).
Methods: Participants were randomized for three FBG targets (≤ 5.6 mmol/L, ≤ 6.1 mmol/L, and ≤ 7.0 mmol/L) receiving insulin glargine 100 U/mL were analyzed for mean change from baseline to 24 weeks in postprandial glucose (PPG) excursion and FPG coefficient of variation (FPG-CV). The study analyzed change from baseline in HbA1c and the proportion of participants who achieved HbA1c < 7% at 24 weeks, according to their baseline FPG-CV and change from baseline in PPG excursion.
Results: The change in PPG excursion and FPG-CV from baseline to 24 weeks was not significantly different between the three groups stratified by randomization or by 24-week FPG levels. While the change in HbA1c from baseline to 24 weeks was slightly higher among participants with baseline FPG-CV < 33.3% (vs. > 66.7%; P = 0.023), a higher proportion of participants with baseline FPG-CV < 33.3% achieved HbA1c < 7% (P = 0.021).
Conclusions: GV was not associated with either target FPG levels or HbA1c < 7.0% after 24 weeks of treatment with insulin glargine and OADs.
Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02545842.
Keywords: Chinese; Fasting blood glucose; Glycated hemoglobin; Glycemic variability; Insulin glargine 100 U/mL; Type 2 diabetes.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Healthcare Ltd., part of Springer Nature.