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Pre‐mixed Insulin Delivered by Disposable Pen in the Management of Children with Diabetes
Author(s) -
O'Hagan M.,
Greene S.A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.1993.tb00015.x
Subject(s) - medicine , insulin , regimen , crossover study , diabetes mellitus , insulin pen , pediatrics , endocrinology , alternative medicine , pathology , placebo
Pre‐mixed insulin preparations are being used increasingly in the management of children with IDDM. Recently this form of insulin has been produced in a disposable insulin pen device. An open randomized 3‐month crossover study was conducted to compare glycaemic control on a self‐titrating insulin regimen with a pre‐mixed (30:70) preparation, both given twice daily. The pre‐mixed preparation was delivered by disposable pen. Forty children (age range 7–16 yr) entered the study. Mean ± SEM glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA 1 %) at the start of the study (13.1 ± 0.6) compared with values at the end of the self‐titrating (11.8 ± 0.5) and pre‐mixed periods (12.5 ± 0.5), as well as blood glucose profiles taken at 3‐weekly intervals, showed no significant change. Fourteen of the children were on insulin ratios other than 30:70 (range 10:90 to 50:50) and were unaffected by the switch (HbA 1 at the start of the study 12.7 ± 1; at the end of the self‐titrating 11.5 ± 0.8; and pre‐mixed period 12.5 ± 0.8). Twenty‐one children continued on the pen for a further 12 months with no deterioration in control (HbA 1 at the beginning and end of this period being 11.9 ± 0.7 and 11.0 ± 0.7, respectively). The children (95%) preferred the disposable pen and pre‐mixed insulin regimen. Switching to pre‐mixed insulin, while not improving, has no detrimental effect on glycaemic control.