Estimated HbA1c and glucose management indicator (GMI): are they the same?

Leelarathna, L; Thabit, H; Hovorka, R; Evans, M

Despite its known limitations, laboratory-based HbA1c level is widely used to assess medium- and long-term glycaemia in people with diabetes because of its well-established link with diabetes-related complications [1]. However, the recent increase in real-time and intermittently-scanned continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor use over recent years has meant that sensor-based metrics are being increasingly used by healthcare professionals and people living with type 1 diabetes to assess glycaemia [2]. These devices also allow remote data sharing with the clinical team through various data-sharing web platforms such as Diasend/Glooko, Abbott Libreview, Dexcom Clarity and Medtronic Carelink. The ability to visualize glucose data remotely has been useful in supporting healthcare professionals look after people with type 1 diabetes during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as the capacity to perform face-to-face clinic visits and laboratory HbA1c measurements has been restricted.