Efficacy and safety of long-term insulin pump treatment in patients with type 1 diabetes aged over 50 years

Abstract

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy using insulin pumps has become widely used in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of long-term insulin pump treatment in patients with T1DM aged ≥50 years. The study included patients aged ≥50 years, who had a diagnosis of T1DM based on clinical criteria and/or presence of autoantibodies characteristic of autoimmune diabetes, and had received ≥5 years of recent and uninterrupted treatment with a personal insulin pump. We analyzed records on HbA1c levels across the entire observation period. The cohort comprised 17 patients, of whom 6 (35%) were men and 11 (65%) were women. The mean duration of observation was 6.6 years, during which patients had a mean of 8.4 HbA1c measurements. Mean HbA1c level over the entire observation period was 6.7% (range, 5.3-7.4%). Overall, 11 patients (65%) had mean HbA1c levels at the ADA-recommended target of <7% and 5 patients (29%) had mean HbA1c <6.5%. Mean HbA1c level was significantly lower at the end of the observation period than at the start (6.52% versus 6.91%; difference, -0.39%; p < 0.01), indicating an improvement in glycaemic control over time. On average, patients experienced one level 1 hypoglycaemia episode every 2.4 days. This retrospective analysis of at least 5 years of follow-up of selected patients with T1DM aged ≥50 years at the start of observation, showed that CSII is a safe and effective treatment option in this age group.