New schemes of insulin treatment in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus attending a Public Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: During the last decade the importance of glycaemic control in the prevention of microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) has been demostrated. To achieve this goal, different modalities of intensive therapy have been recommended.

Objective: To communicate a novel therapeutic modality employed in paedriatric patients and the metabolic control achieved.

Methods: All DM patients < 19 years were included. Insulin treatment was consigned and classified as intensive (at least 3 daily doses, 2 or 3 NPH daily doses, or glargin) or conventional (2 or less doses). Number of doses, mean HbA1c during 2003, results of educative programmes were evaluated and compared.

Results: 69 patients (36 females) were studied, 59,7% were pubertal, with a mean age of 12,0 ± 3,7 years. All patients used a basal insulin (69,2% daily dose) and a prandial insulin. Intensive therapy was used by 87% of children. Patients with multiple daily doses received 3 or 4 inyections of a short or rapid acting insulin. Basal insulin was glargine in 10%, twice daily NPH in 28% and thrice daily in 49%. Patients modified dose according to glucose level occured in 88,4%, and 46,4% considered carbohydrate intake. 27% knew the carbohydrate/insulin ratio and 79,7% used additional insulin when eating extra carbohydrates. The BbA1c was 8,6 ± 1,4% without differences in terms of insulin modality used. 30,4% achieved the proposed goals of HbA1c. The total and basal insulin usage correlated with the HbA1c.

Conclusions: Multiple modalities of insulin therapy are available, no difference in metabolic control between the modalities was detected. We have achieved very good control in 30% of the patients, only insulin daily dose and basal dose correlated significatively with HbA1c.