Experience of Odesa doctors in using an insulin pump in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Children and adults living with type 1 diabetes require daily multiple subcutaneous insulin injections or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, commonly referred to as pump insulin therapy. Pump insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes in children is known to be associated with improved glycaemic control. In 2010, a Cochrane systematic review of 23 randomised controlled trials comparing the use of PIT with multiple daily injections found a significant difference in glycaemic control, namely HbA1c levels, with pump insulin therapy. In a recent meta-analysis, similar results were obtained when comparing insulin pump therapy with multiple daily injections using different types of bolus and basal analogue insulin. Population-based studies have also reported improved glycaemic control for patients using pump insulin therapy. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, a US population-based study of newly diagnosed diabetes in youth, found that participants with type 1 diabetes who used pump insulin therapy had lower mean HbA1c levels than those on other treatment regimens. In addition, pump insulin therapy was associated with a lower risk of severe hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis.