Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Characteristics in Type 1 Diabetes Children and Adolescents in Qatar.

AIM: To describe continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) characteristics in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) children and adolescents using a standardized protocol in routine clinical settings in Qatar.

METHODS: A total of 138 T1DM patients (62 males; 76 females; mean age 9.8 ± 3.4 years) with a mean diabetes duration of 2.4 ± 1.9 years initiated CSII (MiniMed® Veo® ™ and MiniMed® 640 G insulin pumps; Medtronic, Northridge, CA, USA) in 2016 and 2017. CSII characteristics and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were evaluated 1 year after treatment initiation.

RESULTS: At 1 year after treatment initiation, the insulin dose had significantly increased (from 0.59 ± 0.23 to 0.74 ± 0.26 U/kg body weight per 24; P < 0.05), and the HbA1c level had significantly decreased (from 9.7 ± 1.3 to 8.1 ± 0.6%; P < 0.05). More than 92% of patients used the Bolus Wizard feature of the insulin pump at the following settings: insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio 19.2 ± 9.3 g; insulin sensitivity factor 131 ± 68 mg/dl; target range 91 ± 9.3-135 ± 14.2 mg/dl; active insulin time 3.8 ± 0.8 h.

CONCLUSION: Our results show that CSII may significantly improve glucose control in T1D children and adolescents who use a standardized protocol. A reduction of HbA1c by - 1.6% was achieved at 1 year after CSII initiation. These results need to be confirmed in a study with a longer duration.