Key words: glucose monitoring, evaluation, type 1 diabetes SUMMARY The aim of the study was to determine whether a 3-day glucose profile is sufficiently representative of the overall metabolic control of a patient, and to evaluate clinical performance of the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in type 1 diabetic patients. Eighteen type 1 diabetics (male 7, female 11, mean age 26.7±4.6 years) were included in the study performed at Outpatient Clinic of University Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders in Skopje. The patient mean HbA 1c was 8.7±1.6%. All patients were treated with intensive insulin therapy (4 daily injections). CGMS (Minimed CGMS gold) was performed for 72 hours. Results were discussed with the patients and insulin treatment was adjusted. Two months later HbA 1c was determined. CGMS profiles verified blood glucose excursions unrecognized by self-monitoring measure- ments in all patients. A mean of 0.9±1.2 asymptomatic nocturnal hypoglycemic events per patient was recorded with CGMS during the night and early morning. Glucose period exceeding 22.2 mmol/L due to hypoglycemic event was recorded in six patients. Prolonged periods of hyperglycemia (blood glucose values >14 mmol/L for 5 hours) were recorded in eight patients. Dawn phenomenon (elevation in glucose level during the early morning) was found in four patients. The 3-day glucose profile obtained by CGMS was found to be representative of the overall metabolic control in a particular patient. CGMS is easy to perform and in our study resulted in HbA 1c improvement at 2 months. INTRODUCTION The major objective in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1 is to maintain blood glucose levels near to the normal values and to obtain levels of HbA 1c close to 7%. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is very important in the management of diabetes. The American Diabetes Association suggests that patients with DM type 1 measure their blood glucose at least three or more times daily (1). Yet, SMBG is inadequate, as it provides only a partial and incomplete picture of circadian blood glucose fluctuations. Frequent SMBG is often not accepted by the patients because it is invasive and painful. Prospective randomized clinical trials such as the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) (2) and U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) (3) have shown that improved glycemic control is associated with sustained decreased rates of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The results of these studies have demonstrated that intensive 125 Diabetologia Croatica 33-4, 2004 Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, School of Medicine, Sv. Kiril i Metodij University, Bihaæka 3-2-41, MK-1000 Skopje, Macedonia Original Scientific Paper Received: October 14, 2004 Accepted: February 4, 2005 CLINICAL PERFORMANCE OF CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING SYSTEM IN TYPE 1 DIABETICS Goran Petrovski, Chedomir Dimitrovski, Tatjana Milenkovic Correspondence to: Goran Petrovski, MD, MS, University Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, School of Medicine, Sv. Kiril i Metodij University, Bihaæka 3-2-41, MK-1000 Skopje, Macedonia E-mail: goranp@endocrinology.org.mk http://www.endocrinology.org.mk