The report of the study conducted among Indians about the Time in Range (TIR), the new way in monitoring blood sugar, was presented at the 13th international conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments in Diabetes (ATTD) held in Spain. The Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP) that includes the Time in Range has come into existence as the specification in diabetes treatment from this year onwards. The study concerning this, a first in India, was conducted by a team of doctors and researchers at the Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre and Hospital in Kochi headed by Dr. Jothydev.
The ATTD meetings are the premium international forum to present and discuss the innovations and new technologies in treating patients with diabetes.
For more than two decades, the decisions regarding the treatment plan of the diabetes patients were taken based on the HbA1c test that is conducted once in three months.
The HbA1c test reveals the average blood sugar levels in three months. However, this test has many limitations as the test results wouldn’t be reliable when there are variations in the hemoglobin levels, if the patient is pregnant, or if the patient is diagnosed with kidney disease or any other illness. Besides, the exact results could be achieved only on the devices that are exclusively made for this purpose.
The Time in Range method that has been proposed globally considers the time range in which the blood sugar levels are within the normal range and above it. For most diabetic patients, the blood sugar level should be maintained at 70 – 180 mg/dl, which is the normal range of the Time in Range, for 70% of the time. If the blood sugar level drops below 70 mg/dl for more than 15 minutes in an hour, it could be dangerous. It could be extremely dangerous for old people or those who are diagnosed with kidney – heart ailments if their blood sugar drops below the normal range for more than 15 minutes. The treatment in diabetes improves every time the TIR rises by 10%.
Dr. Jothydev suggested that the Time in Range test, conducted using advanced glucose monitoring system could be used to prevent serious illness in diabetes patients and also to help them overcome exhaustion. Dr. Arun Sankar, Gopika Krishnan, Dr. Aswin David, Geethu Sanal and Sunitha Jothydev of the Dr. Jothydev’s Diabetic Research Centre took part in the study conducted in Kerala.
