Objective: To investigate the characteristics of glycemic stability in the first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients by continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS).
Methods: Twenty-two first-degree relatives (FDRs) of T2DM patients and 28 age and gender-matched controls underwent CGMS to obtain the mean blood glucose (MBG), standard deviation of MBG (SDBG), mean of daily differences (MODD), and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE). Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted. Blood glucose, serum lipids, and serum insulin were assayed. The insulin sensitivity and resistance was assessed by HOMA-beta, HOMA-IR, DeltaI(30)/DeltaG(30) and modified beta cell function index (MBCI).
Results: There were no significant differences between the FDR and control groups in the levels of plasma glucose in OGTT, MBG, SDBG, and MOOD. However, the MAGE level of the FDR group was (2.3 +/- 0.5) mmol/L, significantly higher than that of the control group [(2.0 +/- 0.6) mmol/L, P < 0.05]. The MBCI level of the FDR group was 17.6 (16.9 - 50.0), significantly lower than that of the control group [36.0 (15.7 - 59.6), P < 0.05]. There were no significant differences in the serum lipids profile, body fat distribution, HOMA-beta, HOMA-IR, and DeltaI(30)/DeltaG(30) between these two groups.
Conclusion: The excursion of blood glucose is greater in the FDRs of T2DM patients. CGMS is more sensitive to discover such change than OGTT.