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Basal insulin and total daily insulin dose in children with type 1 diabetes using insulin pumps

Ewa Pańkowska1, Agnieszka Szypowska, Maria Lipka

  • 1The Second Department of Paediatrics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. epankowska@interia.pl

Pediatric Diabetes
|June 13, 2008
PubMed

Insights

In children with type 1 diabetes, basal insulin needs are less than 50% of the total daily dose. Factors like age, diabetes duration, and C-peptide levels influence this basal insulin contribution.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Diabetes Research

Background:

  • Type 1 diabetes management in children requires precise insulin dosing.
  • Basal insulin provides a continuous background insulin supply, crucial for glycemic control.
  • Understanding factors influencing basal insulin needs is key to optimizing treatment in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the contribution of basal insulin to the total daily insulin dose (CBITDD) in children with type 1 diabetes.
  • To identify factors associated with CBITDD in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 90 well-controlled children with type 1 diabetes.
  • Basal insulin requirements were measured using insulin pump data.
  • Factors analyzed included glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting C-peptide, standard deviation score of body mass index (sdsBMI), age, and diabetes duration.

Main Results:

  • CBITDD was positively correlated with age (r = 0.39) and diabetes duration (r = 0.61).
  • An inverse correlation was observed between CBITDD and fasting C-peptide levels (r = -0.41).
  • C-peptide-positive children had a significantly lower percentage of basal insulin (20.6%) compared to C-peptide-negative children (31.6%).

Conclusions:

  • The percentage of basal insulin in well-controlled diabetic children is typically below 50%.
  • Basal insulin contribution is significantly related to fasting C-peptide levels, patient age, and diabetes duration.
  • HbA1c and sdsBMI were not found to be significant determinants of basal insulin percentage.
Abstract

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