Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
[Insulin dose analysis during pregnancy in type 1 diabetic patients treated with insulin pump therapy]
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disease, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diabetology, Guangdong Diabetes Center, Guangzhou 510630, China.
Abstract:
Objective: To analyze the insulin dose of type 1 diabetic patients who treated with insulin pump therapy during pregnancy in order to explore the features of these patients' insulin requirement during gestation. Methods: A total of 12 well-controlled type 1 diabetic women patients who were treated with insulin pump therapy before and during gestation without any adverse pregnancy outcomes from June 2011 to December 2014 were selected from Guangdong Type 1 Diabetes Translational Medicine Study and included in the study. Demographic data, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) before pregnancy and before delivery, insulin dose, hypoglycemia episodes and pregnancy outcomes were collected to analyze the insulin dose of preconception, the 1(st,) the 2(nd) and the 3(rd) trimester to analyze the requirement of insulin before and throughout pregnancy. Results: Subjects were (26.9±2.6) years old, with a diabetes duration of (6.6±4.4) years. HbA1c were (5.8±0.5)% before conception. The preconception total daily insulin dose, basal rate, bolus and bolus proportion were (0.60±0.18)U/kg, (0.28±0.10)U/kg, (0.32±0.13)U/kg and (54.8±12.9)%, respectively. Both of the insulin dose indexes mentioned above changed significantly in different trimesters compared with that in preconception (P value was <0.001, 0.034, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively). The total daily insulin dose, bolus and bolus proportion kept increasing during pregnancy. In the 1(st,) the 2(nd) and the 3(rd) trimester, the total daily insulin dose rose by 0.2%, 45.4% and 72.7%, respectively, the bolus rose by 8.0%, 72.2% and 106.8%, respectively, and the bolus proportion rose by 8.0%, 16.8% and 19.0%, respectively. While the basal rate decreased by 9.0% in the 1(st) trimester and rose by 14.1% and 32.9% in the 2(nd) and 3(rd) trimester, respectively. Conclusions: In well-controlled pregnant women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, insulin requirement increased throughout pregnancy. Most of the increased insulin requirement was attributed to the bolus instead of the basal rate. When titrating the dose of insulin for the pregnant women complicated with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the physicians should consider their features of insulin requirement so as to optimize the glycemic control.
Related Concept Videos
Insulin: Dosing Regimen and Adverse Effects
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Insulin Formulations: Types and Delivery
Short-acting insulins are divided into...
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...

