QUALITY-OF-LIFE DURING INTENSIVE INSULIN THERAPY - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY WITH INSULIN PEN VS INSULIN PUMP

The purpose of the following-study was to identify aspects of quality of life that are particulary affected by the mode of insulin therapy. 55 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, who volunteered for a change of their intensive insulin therapy with pen injections to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) were studied 1 month before, and 6 months after, changing to CSII. The DCCT questionnaire w as applied, measuring quality of life in the 4 subscales: satisfaction , impact, social/vocational worries, and diabetes related vorries, res pectively. The results demonstrate that the ''satisfaction'' subscale was scored significantly higher (p < 0.02), and the ''impact'' subscal e was scored lower (p < 0.02) with CSII therapy. Single items showed t hat this was due to greater flexibility with leisure-time activities a nd with diet, and to significantly less problems with hypoglycaemia. T he subscales ''social/vocational worries'' and ''diabetes-related worr ies'' were scored unchanged. HbA(1c) changed only slightly from 7.5% ( SD 1.2) to 6.9% (SD 0.9); (p < 0.05). It is concluded that disease-rel ated deficiencies in quality of life (satisfaction, impact) improve co nsiderably in insulin-dependent diabetic patients after changing volun tarily from intensive insulin therapy with pen injections to continuou s subcutaneous insulin infusion.