Enhancing Choices Regarding the Administration of Insulin Among Patients With Diabetes Requiring Insulin Across Countries and Implications for Future Care

There are a number of ongoing developments to improve the care of patients with diabetes across countries given its growing burden. Recent developments include new oral medicines to reduce cardiovascular events and death. They also include new modes to improve insulin administration to enhance adherence and subsequent patient management thereby reducing hypoglycaemia and improving long-term outcomes. In the case of insulins, this includes long-acting insulin analogues as well as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion systems, combined with sensor-augmented pump therapy and potentially hybrid closed-loops. The benefits of such systems have been endorsed by endocrine societies and governments in patients with Type 1 diabetes whose HbA1c levels are not currently being optimised. However, there are concerns with the low use of such systems across higher-income countries, exacerbated by their higher costs, despite studies suggesting their cost-effectiveness ratios are within accepted limits. This is inconsistent in higher-income countries when compared with reimbursement and funding decisions for new high-priced medicines for cancer and orphan diseases, with often limited benefits, given the burden of multiple daily insulin injections coupled with the need for constant monitoring. This situation is different among patients and governments in low- and low-middle income countries struggling to fund standard insulins and the routine monitoring of HbA1c levels. The first priority in these countries is to address these priority issues before funding more expensive forms of insulin and associated devices. Greater patient involvement in treatment decisions, transparency in decision making, and evidence-based investment decisions should help to address such concerns in the future.

The effect of visfatin genotype on insulin pump therapy on quality of life in patients with type I diabetes

Diabetes is associated with an increase in other chronic diseases and an increase in mortality. The individual differences influence the treatment of this disease in pharmacokinetics and clinical responses. One of the important factors related to individual differences includes genetic factors in transmission, metabolism, and drug function. On the other hand, this disease has a significant impact on the patients’ quality of life and their family. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2110385) of the visfatin gene on insulin required to maintain glucose homeostasis and to evaluate the effect of insulin pump therapy on the quality of life in type 1 diabetic patients. In this regard, this study was performed on 47 patients with type 1 diabetes. The short form of the Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQOL) was used to record information. Laboratory tests also included FBS, HbA1C, G2h, serum levels of visfatin, insulin, and adiponectin. Insulin resistance (HOMA) and insulin sensitivity (QUICKI) indices were calculated. The polymorphism of the studied genotype was performed by the PCR-RFLP method. The results showed that the scores of both dimensions of quality of life, including patient care behaviors and satisfaction with the disease control after the intervention increased significantly (P <0.001). There was a significant and direct relationship between the patient's age and the duration of the disease with the score of increasing patients' quality of life. No significant differences were found between HbA1C, G2h, FBS levels, fasting insulin concentration, HOMA, and QUICKI indices. The insulin dose used to maintain glucose homeostasis at the same levels was significantly lower in the GG genotype than in other genotypes. In general, the present study results showed that insulin pump therapy and its dimensions could improve the life quality of patients with type 1 diabetes. Also, genetic evaluation of individuals helps to provide the correct and accurate dose of insulin with the help of the insulin pump for these patients to increase their quality of life as much as possible.

Understanding of insulin pump therapy among parents of children with type 1 diabetes

The study aimed to analyze the level of awareness among parents of children undergoing therapy using a personal insulin pump and focus specifically on those elements of treatment that create problems for caregivers.

Automated Bolus Calculators and Connected Insulin Pens: A Smart Combination for Multiple Daily Injection Insulin Therapy

Although automated bolus calculators (ABCs) have become a mainstay in insulin pump therapy, they have not achieved similar levels of adoption by persons with diabetes (PWD) using multiple daily injections of insulin (MDI). Only a small number of blood glucose meters (BGMs) have incorporated ABC functionality and the proliferation of unregulated ABC smartphone apps raised safety concerns and eventually led to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–mandated regulatory oversight for these types of apps. With the recent introduction of smartphone-connected insulin pens, manufacturer-supported companion ABC apps may offer an ideal solution for PWD and health care professionals that reduces errors of mental math when calculating bolus insulin dosing, increases the quality of diabetes data reporting, and improves glycemic outcomes.

Inequity in Adoption of Advanced Diabetes Technologies Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries

Context Health inequity is often associated with race-ethnicity. Objective To determine the prevalence of insulin pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among Medicare beneficiaries with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) by race-ethnicity, and to compare diabetes-related technology users to non-users. Design The prevalence of technology use (pump, CGM) was determined by race-ethnicity for enrollees in coverage years (CY) 2017-2019 in the Medicare fee-for-service database. Using CY2019 data, technology users were compared to non-users by race-ethnicity, sex, average age, Medicare eligibility criteria, and visit to an endocrinologist. Setting Community Patients or Other Participants Beneficiaries with T1D and at least one inpatient or two outpatient claims in a CY Intervention(s) Pump or CGM therapy, visit to an endocrinologist Main Outcome Measure(s) Diabetes-related technology use by race-ethnicity groups Results Between 2017 and 2019 CGM and insulin pump use increased among all groups. Prevalence of insulin pump use was &lt;5% for Black and Other beneficiaries yet increased from 14% to 18% among White beneficiaries. In CY2019 57% of White patients used a pump compared to 33.1% of Black and 30.3% of Other patients (P&lt;0.001). Black patients were more likely than White patients to be eligible due to disability/end-stage renal disease or to be Medicare/Medicaid eligible (both P&lt;0.001), whether using technology or not. Significant race-ethnicity differences (P&lt;0.001) existed between technology users and non-users for all evaluated factors except visiting an endocrinologist. Conclusions Significant race-ethnicity associated differences existed in T1D management. The gap in diabetic technology adoption between Black and White beneficiaries grew between 2017 and 2019.

The choice of the insulin basal rate regimen at initiation of insulin pump therapy in routine clinical practice

Background: Numbers of patients with diabetes mellitus using insulin pumps have been increasing every year. Successful achievement of glycemic targets with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is based on an adequate basal rate of infusion, carbohydrate coefficient and insulin sensitivity index. There are two approaches to basal insulin infusion rate, namely the flat one and the circadian; however, at present there is no convincing data on which one should be chosen at the start of insulin pump therapy.Aim: To compare two regimens of basal insulin infusion rate at initiation of insulin pump therapy in routine clinical practice.Materials and methods: We analyzed data from 120 patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus, who were switched on insulin pump therapy in the Department of Endocrinology from 2017 to 2018. At initiation of CSII, 60 patients used the flat basal rate profile and the other 60 patients used the circadian basal rate, calculated with the Renner's scale. Safety of the two basal rate regimens was assessed based on glucose variability measured with continuous glucose monitoring during the first two days after the start of insulin pump therapy.Results: Mean (± SD) coefficients of variation in the groups with circadian and flat basal rate at Day 1 were 31.06±12.13 and 32.74±10.7, respectively (p=0.423); at Day 2, 26.78±11.27 and 28.83±10.7 (p=0.309). Median [Q1; Q3] areas under glucose curve (AUC) values above the glucose targets in the groups with circadian and flat basal rate at Day 1 were 0.37 [0.03; 0.89] and 0.48 [0.08; 1.75], respectively, at Day 2 0.44 [0.03; 1.57] and 0.31 [0.1; 1.5], respectively (p>0.05). Median glucose AUC values below the goal in groups with circadian basal rate and flat basal rate on the first day were 0.01 [0; 0.06] and 0.02 [0; 0.1], respectively (p=0.855), on the second day – 0.00 [0; 0.01] and 0.00 [0; 0.02], respectively (р=0.085). We also haven’t found any between-group differences in the prevalence of glucose deviations below and above the target, as well as in the time spent in normoglycaemia.Conclusion: The comparative analysis of two basal insulin rate regimens in Type 1 diabetic patients switched to insulin pump therapy has shown no significant differences between them. The use of Renner’s scale has no clinical advantages over the fixed basal insulin regimen at initiation of insulin pump therapy in adults.

Sex differences over time for glycemic control, pump use and insulin dose in patients aged 10–40 years with type 1 diabetes: a diabetes registry study

IntroductionTo evaluate sex differences in people with type 1 diabetes concerning changes in glycemic control and trends in insulin pump use and insulin dose over two decades in adolescents and one-and-a-half decades in adults.Research design and methodsPeople aged 10–20 years (data years 1999–2018) and 21–40 years (data years 2004–2018) with type 1 diabetes were identified in the Diabetes Prospective Follow-up Registry (DPV). All available patients’ data sets of the respective period were used for linear regression analyses to investigate trends in HbA1c, pump use, insulin doses and body mass index SD scores (BMI-SDS) in females and males. In addition, stratification by migrant background was made for the adolescent group.ResultsIn the youth group (n=68 662), both boys and girls showed an HbA1c decrease over the period examined. After stratification for migrant background, an HbA1c convergence between boys and girls was seen in those without migrant background as of 2016. Usage of insulin pumps increased continuously from 3% (boys and girls) to 47% (boys) and 54% (girls), respectively. The daily insulin dose in units per kilogram body weight and day increased continuously from 1999 to 2018. An insulin dose leveling between boys and girls occurred. BMI-SDS consistently increased in girls whereas only slight variations were observed in boys.The adult group (n=15 380) showed constant HbA1c sex differences from 2004 to 2018 with lower HbA1c level in females. The use of insulin pump therapy rose from 18% to 35% (males) and 30% to 50% (females).ConclusionsThe gap in metabolic control between boys and girls with type 1 diabetes seems to close, but predominantly in adolescents without a migrant background. Improved HbA1c was associated with increased insulin pump use, especially in girls.In adult patients, sex differences in metabolic control and insulin pump use persist: women show constantly lower HbA1c values and higher insulin pump use.