Effects of initiating insulin pump therapy in the real world: A nationwide, register-based study of adults with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: We aimed to estimate effects of insulin pump therapy (IPT) on HbA1c level, HbA1c variability, and risk of hospitalised diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and severe hypoglycaemia (SH), compared with multiple daily insulin injections (MDI). METHODS: We identified a cohort of all adults with type 1 diabetes in Denmark using national registry data and assigned each individual to either IPT (treatment) or MDI (control) from 2010 to 2020. We estimated average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) and treatment effects among population subgroups using treatment-staggered difference-in-differences. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 26,687 individuals with a collective 243,601 person-years of observation; 38,823 (16 %) were IPT person-years. We identified an ATT for HbA1c of -0.33 % (95 % CI -0.39 to -0.27; -3.6 mmol/mol [95 % CI -4.2 to -2.9]). ATTs were larger among women and individuals who were older, had highest baseline HbA1c, and used continuous glucose monitoring. ATT for HbA1c variability (-0.016 % [-0.028 to -0.0041); -0.17 mmol/mol [95 % CI -0.30 to -0.045]) corresponded to a 6.5 % decrease in the standard deviation of HbA1c. ATTs for DKA and SH corresponded to 0.52 additional and 0.11 fewer hospitalisations per 1,000 person-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IPT significantly reduced HbA1c level and variability, compared with MDI. However, it also marginally increased the risk of hospitalised DKA.

Insulin Pump Treatment in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes in the Capital Region of Denmark: Design and Cohort Characteristics of the Steno Tech Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Insulin pump therapy can improve quality of life and glycaemic outcomes for many people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The multidimensional Steno Tech Survey study aims to investigate why some insulin pump users do not achieve treatment goals. In this article, we present the study design and analyse differences in population characteristics between responders and non-responders. METHODS: In June 2020, all 1591 insulin pump users (≥ 18 years) in the Capital Region of Denmark were invited to participate in an online questionnaire that evaluated several dimensions of insulin pump self-management and psychosocial health. Demographic, socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, including age, sex and HbA1c, of the cohort were identified via national registries. Predictors of questionnaire response/non-response were explored with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In the full study population, 58% were female, median age was 42 years and median HbA1c was 58 mmol/mol (7.5%); 30% had HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (7.0%). In total, 770 individuals (48%) responded to the questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis showed that 50+ years of age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-3.8), female sex (OR = 1.3, CI: 1.02-1.6), being married (OR = 1.8, CI: 1.3-2.4) and having long higher education (OR = 1.6, CI: 1.004-2.5) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of responding to the survey; the opposite was found for HbA1c from 64 to < 75 mmol (8.0-9.0%) (OR = 0.6, CI: 0.4-0.8) and HbA1c ≥ 75 mmol/mol (≥ 9.0%) (OR = 0.2, CI: 0.1-0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The established Steno Tech cohort enables future analysis of a range of psychosocial and behavioural aspects of insulin pump self-management. Interpretation and generalization of findings should consider observed differences between responders and non-responders.