## Key takeaways:
- Children aged 5 years and younger using automated insulin delivery had a similar drop in HbA1c as children aged 6 to 10 years.
Automated Insulin Delivery Shows promise for Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes
recent research indicates that automated insulin delivery systems may be a highly effective therapy for managing type 1 diabetes in children, even those under the age of six. While traditionally considered for older patients,growing demand and positive early results are prompting wider adoption of this technology.
A study involving 253 children aged 10 years or younger, all with type 1 diabetes and prior experience with continuous glucose monitoring, evaluated the impact of the Tandem t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ automated insulin delivery system.Participants were monitored for 18 months, with HbA1c and CGM data collected every six months. The study specifically compared outcomes between children aged five years and younger versus those aged six to ten years. Key metrics included time in range (70-180 mg/dL), time in tight range (70-140 mg/dL), and HbA1c levels.
Initial findings revealed that younger children (under six) had slightly higher average HbA1c levels at the study’s start. Though, both age groups experienced significant improvements after six months of using the automated insulin delivery system: a nearly 5% increase in time in range, a similar increase in time in tight range, and a roughly 1.3% reduction in HbA1c.Notably, children aged six to ten saw a more considerable increase in both time in range and time in tight range compared to their younger counterparts.Researchers also found that initiating automated insulin delivery sooner after a type 1 diabetes diagnosis correlated with greater improvements in glycemic control.
The study reported a single case of diabetic ketoacidosis and one severe hypoglycemia event during the 12-18 month period, occurring in the younger and older age groups respectively. Importantly, both groups maintained low levels of time spent with glucose below 54 mg/dL (less than 1% after 18 months).
These results suggest that Control-IQ technology offers comparable benefits for very young children with type 1 diabetes as it does for older children. Given the inherent difficulties in managing blood sugar in this age group, the adoption of advanced technologies like automated insulin delivery systems is crucial for improving health outcomes.
Worth a look