Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Jun 20, 2024; 14(2): 90708
Published online Jun 20, 2024. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i2.90708
Japanese candlestick charts for diabetes
Diana Boj-Carceller
Diana Boj-Carceller, Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza 50009, Spain
Author contributions: Boj-Carceller D conceptualized, designed, and wrote the report.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author has no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Diana Boj-Carceller, MD, PhD, Doctor, Teaching Assistant, Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Paseo Isabel La Católica, 1-3, Zaragoza 50009, Spain. dbojcarc@gmail.com
Received: December 11, 2023
Revised: February 7, 2024
Accepted: April 24, 2024
Published online: June 20, 2024
Processing time: 185 Days and 11.2 Hours
Abstract

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a popular technology among the diabetic population, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin. The American Diabetes Association recommends standardization of CGM reports with visual cues, such as the ambulatory glucose profile. Nevertheless, interpreting this report requires training and time for CGM to be cost-efficient. In this work it has been proposed to incorporate Japanese candlestick charts in glucose monitoring. These graphs are used in price analysis in financial markets and are easier to view. Each candle provides extra information to make prudent decisions since it reports the opening, maximum, minimum and closing glucose levels of the chosen time frame, usually the daily one. The Japanese candlestick chart is an interesting tool to be considered in glucose control. This graphic representation allows identification of glucose trends easily through the colors of the candles and maximum and minimum glucose values.

Keywords: Japanese candlestick chart, Candlestick chart, Ambulatory glucose profile, Glucose monitoring, Continuous glucose monitoring, Hypoglycemia

Core Tip: This original brief report proposes and explains how to use a graph from financial markets to synthesize the continuous glucose monitoring (CMG) data. Specifically, Japanese candlestick chart for diabetes would save time for both the doctor and the patient in detecting glycemic trends and maximums and minimums at a glance. This work responds to the need to standardize and simplify CMG reports in order to improve decision making in diabetes control.