Evaluation of diabetes control by new numerical indices of daily blood glucose values

: Attempts to assess the degree of diabetic control by numerical expressions of blood glucose behaviour have been performed by Schlichtkrull et Al. (M-Ms value) and by Molnar, Service et Al. (MAGE, MODD, MBG and FBG values). However these methods, partly derived from the results of continuous blood monitoring, fail to give qualitative information about the glycemic daily profile. In order to obtain a more complete estimation of the diurnal blood sugar curve, a simple set of three indices is introduced by our group: 1) the Mbs value (modified); 2) the mean difference (delta value) of the various Mbs/bs calculated with a HP 25 Hewlett-Packard, and 3) the mean of the differences, exceeding delta, which are between contiguous Mbs/bs (M delta value). This investigation was carried out in 103 diabetic observations, on the basis of eight blood-sugar daily determinations (Destrostix Reflectance Meter) on two successive twenty-four-hour periods, under standard conditions of diet, exercise and therapeutic regimen. As the results show, modified Mbs describes the mean level of the glycemic profile; delta indicates the amplitude of the glycemic variability field; M delta reports both maximal and minimal extremes of the curve. A correlation of these parameters is expressed by a formula, which might distinguish stable from unstabel ("brittle") diabetes and allow clinical comparison in different treatment conditions.