Age-related differences in metabolic response to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in pre-pubertal and pubertal children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and metabolic data in a cohort of Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) children before and after 2 yr of continuous sc insulin infusion (CSII). Forty seven T1DM patients were subdivided into two groups: Group A (20 pre-pubertal children, mean age 7.43±3.19 yr); Group B (27 pubertal adolescents, mean age 14.47±1.91 yr). No statistically significant differences in body mass index (BMI) occurred in either groups after starting CSII or during follow-up. The frequency of mild-hypoglycemias significantly declined during pump therapy only in Group A (p<0.05). Both pre-pubertal and pubertal patients required a significant reduction in their total insulin requirement after 12 and 24 months of CSII. The total percentage of daily insulin doses delivered as basal rates was similar in both groups and was negatively associated (β=-2.956, p=0.05) with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) values. No significant correlation was found between the percentage of the basal insulin rate and the number of daily boluses. Differences in timing of the highest insulin requirement were observed between the two groups. Group A had a higher insulin basal rate late in the evening (20:00-24:00 h), while Group B had a higher insulin requirement early in the morning (03:00-07:00 h). The HbA_1c, levels significantly improved in Group A after 6-12 and 24 months of CSII. In Group B a reduction of HbA_1c values was observed only after 6 months of pump therapy (p=0.05). CSII is an effective therapy for all ages but different metabolic requirements should also be taken into account.