The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7499 p498
26 April 2008

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Glucose self-monitoring could raise anxiety

Self-monitoring does not improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and may worsen their quality of life by increasing anxiety and depression, research published on BMJ Online First suggests (17 April 2008).

Researchers followed 184 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus who were randomised to self-monitoring of blood glucose levels or to no such monitoring.

No significant effect of self-monitoring could be identified over one year on HbA_1c level, body mass index, use of oral hypoglycaemic drugs or reported incidence of hypoglycaemia. In addition, monitoring was associated with a 6 per cent higher score on a depression scale.

A separate BMJ Online First study, published at the same time (ibid), examined the cost-effectiveness of self-monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes. The researchers’ analysis showed that self-monitoring of blood glucose cost an additional £92 a year and self-monitoring with training on interpretation of results cost £84 a year.

In addition, this second study also found that monitoring was associated with a lower quality of life.

An editorial commenting on the two studies (ibid) says that the total healthcare cost of self-monitoring for people with type 2 diabetes in the UK may now exceed £100m a year.

“For patients, self-monitoring carries an opportunity cost in terms of the attention that they might have given to more effective disease control measures aimed not just at blood glucose, but also at blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, body weight and physical activity.”