ROSSO 1 – Self-monitoring

ROSSO-study demonstrates that Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) is an essential part of diabetes management

Nearly 200 million people throughout the world have diabetes. This figure is expected to double by the year 2030 and is epidemic across the world. As a result, the socioeconomic burden due to Diabetes is growing continuously and there is an increasing need to improve management of diabetes.

In the past few years, the role of self-monitoring of blood glucose for the treatment of type 2 diabetes has become an increasingly important topic of discussion among medical experts. In an ongoing effort to support advancements in the field of diabetes, Roche Diagnostics recently funded the multicenter cohort ROSSO-study (Retrolective Study Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose and Outcome in People with type 2 Diabetes) with an unrestricted research grant. The ROSSO-study demonstrated scientifically for the first time that people with type 2 diabetes who regularly self-monitor their blood glucose have significantly lower morbidity and mortality rate than patients who do not practise SMBG - independent of therapy type.

The ROSSO-study was conducted between November 2003 and June 2004 by the German Diabetes Center (GDC) in Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Profil Institute for Metabolic Research in Neuss, Germany. The national epidemiological cohort analysis was based on the data of 3,268 patients with type 2 diabetes and covered a mean follow-up period of 6.5 years. 1,479 of the patients self-monitored their blood glucose levels, while 1,789 did not. The ROSSO-study was the first to evaluate SMBG on the basis of ‘hard endpoints’. The defined non-fatal endpoints (morbidity) were myocardial infarction, stroke, amputation, blindness or the necessity for hemodialysis treatment. The mortality rate was determined by analysing all mortalities regardless of the cause of death.

In terms of total study population, the statistically adjusted data revealed that the morbidity rate was reduced by approximately one-third and the mortality rate by approximately one-half in the SMBG group. For the subgroup of non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetics, the morbidity rate was also reduced by approximately one-third and the mortality rate by approximately 40% in the SMBG group. Thus, the ROSSO-study demonstrated that self-monitoring of blood glucose correlates with a significantly improved life expectancy and quality of life in people with type 2 diabetes.