Library · Test
Continuous glucose monitoring
Make it clearer
Continuous glucose monitoring is a way to follow glucose across the day. What it does is measure glucose in the interstitial fluid, the fluid that bathes the cells, and show the trend in real time: not an isolated number, but where that number is headed.
The device is a small disposable sensor that is usually stuck on the back of the arm or on the abdomen. There it measures glucose through an electrochemical reaction: glucose reacts at the surface of the electrode and generates an electrical current proportional to how much glucose is present. More glucose, more current.
One detail explains a common source of confusion. The sensor does not read blood: it reads the fluid around the cells, which runs one step behind. When blood sugar is rising or falling quickly, the sensor value can trail the value in the blood.
In brief
Continuous glucose monitoring measures glucose in the interstitial fluid and shows its trend in real time.
A small disposable sensor, usually placed on the arm or abdomen, measures it through an electrochemical reaction that generates a current proportional to its concentration.
Interstitial glucose can lag behind blood glucose, especially when blood sugar is changing quickly.
The sensor does not read blood: it reads the fluid around the cells, which runs one step behind.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingBlood Glucose Monitoring, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated