R Functions for Analysis of Continuous Glucose Monitor Data

Abstract

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an essential part of diabetes care. Real-time CGM data are beneficial to patients for daily glucose management, and aggregate summary statistics of CGM measures are valuable to direct insulin dosing and as a tool for researchers in clinical trials. Yet, the various commercial systems still report CGM data in disparate, non-standard ways. Accordingly, there is a need for a standardized, free, open-source approach to CGM data management and analysis. Functions were developed in the free programming language R to provide a rapid, easy, and consistent methodology for CGM data management and analysis. Summary variables calculated by our package compare well to those generated by various CGM software, and our functions provide a more comprehensive list of summary measures available to clinicians and researchers. Consistent handling of CGM data using our R package may facilitate collaboration between research groups and contribute to a better understanding of free-living glucose patterns.