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.
