Abstract :
Insulin pump therapy (IPT) is a well-known and an effective method of intensive insulin therapy. In this study, we aimed to explore the patient’s profile, evaluate the long-term effectiveness of IPT, and looked for predictors of glycemic control in a cohort of adult Omani patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This is a retrospective, observational study of 58 adult patients with T1DM on insulin pump therapy, who were being followed at The National Diabetes and Endocrine Centre (NDEC), Royal Hospital, Muscat. The patients' socio-demographic data, clinical history of complications, if any, HbA1c readings prior to and after six months of initiation of pump therapy, and the mean HbA1c levels from the years 2014 to 2018 were collected from the computerised hospital medical records and analysed by SPSS. Among the 58 patients, 24 were male, 34 were female. Their mean age was 27.5 years, duration of diabetes was 14.4 years, and duration of IPT was 7.1± 3.5 years. Mean HbA1c at the time of initiation of IPT was 8.72%, six months after the introduction of IPT, HbA1c levels dropped by 1.15% (p-value = 0.001). The improvement in HbA1c persisted and remained lower than (range 6.9 to 7.3%) pre-pump HbA1c levels from the year 2014-2018. Pre-pump HbA1c <9%, age >20 years, frequent blood glucose monitoring, and a smaller percentage of basal insulin rate are predictors for optimal glycemic control with IPT. The improvement in glycemic control was maintained for an extended time among Omani adults with T1DM on IPT.
