A meta-analysis and meta-regression on the prevalence of lipohypertrophy in diabetic patients on insulin therapy

Design and Testing of a Smartphone Application for Real-Time Tracking of CSII and CGM Site Rotation Compliance in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION

Glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes can be difficult to achieve. One critical aspect of insulin delivery is site rotation, which is necessary to reduce dermatologic complications of repeated insulin infusion. No current application is designed to help patients track sites and instruct on overused sites.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study were to (1) design a smartphone app, Insulin Site Guide, to gather real-time information on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) site location and rotation compliance and instruct subjects on the use of an overused site; (2) conduct a usability study to measure site rotation compliance; and (3) report subject satisfaction with the app.

DESIGN

The app is installed on the subject's smartphone. Subjects use the app to record CSII and CGM placement in real-time. Data are sent to the study team at the end of the study. Subjects complete a questionnaire concerning the app.

RESULTS

We report site rotation compliance data for eight subjects and survey responses for 10 subjects. Initial data from eight subjects indicate a high site rotation compliance of 84% for insulin pumps. In general, the majority of users indicate high satisfaction with the app.

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin Site Guide is a mobile app that uses a novel algorithm to better guide site rotation. Use of the app has the potential to improve site rotation and decrease dermatologic complications of diabetes with long-term use.

Assessing Barriers and Adherence to Insulin Injection Technique in People With Diabetes: Development and Validation of New Assessment Tools

BACKGROUND

The correct injection technique is crucial for people with insulin therapy. However, barriers to insulin injections exist, which can lead to problems with injections. In addition, injection behavior may deviate from recommendations leading to lower adherence to the correct injection technique. We developed two scales to assess barriers and adherence to the correct technique.

METHODS

Two item pools were created to assess barriers to insulin injections (barriers scale) and adherence to the correct technique (adherence scale). In an evaluation study, participants completed the two newly created scales, as well as other questionnaires used for criterion validity. Exploratory factor analysis, correlational analysis, and receiver operating characteristics analysis were computed to analyze the validity of the scales.

RESULTS

A total of 313 people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes using an insulin pen for insulin injections participated. For the barriers scale, 12 items were selected achieving a reliability of 0.74. The factor analysis revealed three factors namely emotional, cognitive, and behavioral barriers. For the adherence scale, nine items were selected achieving a reliability of 0.78. Both scales showed significant associations with diabetes self-management, diabetes distress, diabetes acceptance, and diabetes empowerment. Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed significant area under the curves for both scales in classifying people with current skin irritations.

CONCLUSIONS

Reliability and validity of the two scales assessing barriers and adherence to insulin injection technique were demonstrated. The two scales can be used in clinical practice to identify persons in need of education in insulin injection technique.

Evaluation of Lipohypertrophy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus on Multiple Daily Insulin Injections or Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion

OBJECTIVE

To determine lipohypertrophy (LH) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on multiple daily insulin injections (MDII) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and to reveal the factors associated with the development and severity of LH.

METHODS

Sixty-six patients with T1DM treated with MDII (n = 35, 53%) or CSII (n = 31, 47%) for at least 1 year were included. LH localizations were detected with palpation and ultrasonography (USG).

RESULTS

The LH detection rate with USG was significantly higher than that by palpation in the whole group (P < .001). The LH was detected with USG in 30 (85.7%) patients in the MDII group and 22 (71.0%) patients in the CSII group (P = .144). Advanced LH was detected in 13 (37.1%) of the patients treated with MDII and in 3 (9.7%) of the patients treated with CSII. LH was more severe in the MDII group than in the CSII group (P = .013). Diabetes duration and length of infusion set use were significantly longer and body mass index, hypoglycemia, and complication rates were higher in patients with LH than those in patients without LH (P < .05). A positive correlation was found between LH severity and HbA1C and insulin dose (P < .05, for both). MDII as insulin administration method, incorrect rotation, and a history of ketosis were found to be the most related factors with LH severity in a multiple linear regression analysis (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

USG might be an effective approach for detecting and evaluating the severity of LH. MDII might cause more severe LH than CSII in patients with T1DM. In this study, LH was found to be associated mostly with incorrect rotation technique and a history of ketosis.

Lipohypertrophy prevalence and its associated risk factors in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes in North Borneo, Malaysia

Background

Insulin-treated diabetes patients are at high risk of developing lipohypertrophy, which can negatively impact treatment outcomes. Early detection of lipohypertrophy is crucial to preventing blood glucose fluctuation. Unfortunately, this clinical issue is often overlooked by nurses, causing the development of vascular complications, which leads to an increase in the morbidity and mortality of the type 2 diabetes mellitus population.

Objective

This study was conducted to identify lipohypertrophy prevalence and to establish the association between the presence of lipohypertrophy and its associated risk factors, including years on injection, total injection in a day, total insulin unit per day, often change needle, insulin injection site and move to a different area.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 128 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who received insulin therapy in an outpatient diabetic clinic. Questionnaires on socio-demographic and lipohypertrophy-associated risk factors were distributed among patients, and lipohypertrophy-assessment was done using a checklist. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square were used for statistical analysis.

Results

The prevalence of lipohypertrophy was 51.6% (95% CI: 42.6, 60.5). Swelling on fatty tissue (46.1%) exhibited the highest percentage of lipohypertrophy features during the assessment. Pearson Chi-Square revealed a significant relationship between the presence of LH and BMI categories (χ2 = 10.059, df = 3, p = 0.018), duration of injection (χ2 = 15.001, df = 3, p = 0.002), frequency of needle replacement (χ2 = 9.525, df = 3, p = 0.023) and rotation of injection site (χ2 = 5.914, df = 1, p = 0.015).

Conclusion

The high prevalence of lipohypertrophy indicates a need for a prevention strategy. Thus, nurses should play an important role in educating patients regarding the proper administration of insulin injections and performing a routine lipohypertrophy assessment and health education on the correct method of insulin injection.

The Impact of Insulin-Induced Lipodystrophy on Glycemic Variability in Pediatric Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

Lipodystrophy is the most common dermatological complication in patients with diabetes on insulin therapy. Despite the high frequency of lipodystrophy, there are still several difficulties in giving advice about avoidance into practice among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of insulin-induced lipodystrophy in a cohort of pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes, to identify associated clinical factors and to assess its influence on glycemic control. Two hundred and twelve patients attending our Diabetes Center during a three-month period were enrolled. The presence of lipodystrophy was assessed by inspection and palpation procedures. Demographic and clinical data including type of treatment, frequency of rotation of insulin administration sites, and glucose metrics of the previous 30 days were assessed and statistically analyzed. Prevalence of lipohypertrophy was 44.3%. Two patients were affected by lipoatrophy (0.9%). Improper rotation of insulin administration sites and low awareness on lipodystrophy were associated to the occurrence of this skin condition (p = 0.050 and p = 0.005, respectively). When comparing patients with and without lipodystrophy, a significant difference in glycemic variability parameters was detected (p = 0.036 for coefficient of variation, p = 0.029 for standard deviation score of glucose levels). Lipodystrophy still represents a common complication in patients on insulin therapy. The present study reveals its negative impact on glycemic variability. This finding emphasizes the importance of prevention strategies to minimize the occurrence of this dermatological complication that may interfere with clinical history of the disease.

The Economic Burden of Insulin Injection-Induced Lipohypertophy. Role of Education: The ISTERP-3 Study

Introduction

The history of insulin-induced skin lipohypertrophy (LH) runs parallel to that of insulin's 100 years, and an average of 47% of insulin-treated patients still suffer from it today. The metabolic and economic effects of LH are significant, with hypoglycemia being the most striking. The objective of the study was to perform a 52-week follow-up of 713 insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and LH to detect any differences in the occurrence of hypoglycemic events (HYPOs) and related healthcare costs as well as in LH rates and injection habits between an intensive education intervention group (IG) and control group (CG) provided with a single educational session at the starting point.

Methods

All participants were trained in accurately self-monitoring blood glucose and recording all HYPOs for 6 months, which allowed baseline recordings before they were randomized into the IG, comprising 395 insulin-treated subjects undergoing repeated, structured multimodal education on correct injection techniques as a longstanding behavioral rehabilitation strategy, and the CG, comprising 318 subjects receiving the same structured, multimodal educational session, but only initially.

Results

Changes in LH rate and size and in performance were large in the IG and only slight and transient in the CG. A striking difference in the rate of decrease of HYPOs was also apparent between groups. Indeed, estimated costs of health interventions for severe and symptomatic HYPOs, which were on the order of €70,000 and €9300, respectively, in the two groups at baseline decreased by 5.9 times and 13.7 times, respectively, at the end of follow-up in the IG and by only approximately half in the CG. Full details of the changes occurring as a result of intensive education are provided in the text.

Conclusions

The effect of only initial education in the CG was not significant, thus providing evidence of the virtual worthlessness of a single training session on injection techniques, typical of worldwide daily clinical practice, and easily explaining the extremely high prevalence of LH in insulin-treated patients. Conversely, highly positive effects on LH prevalence and size as well as costs expected from decreased HYPO rate were obtained in the IG. To our knowledge, ours is the first 18-month randomized trial in the field. If our experimental model were to be used as an effective, longstanding behavioral rehabilitation strategy and therefore adapted to real-world settings universally, LH prevalence and costs related to their clinical consequences would be drastically reduced. However, only with a strong, relentless commitment of universities, scientific societies, and patient associations can we achieve this ambitious goal, which would provide great institutional savings and improved quality of life for people with diabetes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-022-02105-5.

Gender Differences in Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Lipohypertrophy in Insulin-Exposed Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess potential gender differences in prevalence and clinical relevance of insulin-related lipohypertrophy (LH).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP) were systematically searched for studies, from inception to 1st Sep 2022, on the prevalence of insulin-related LH. The eligibility of articles was independently screened, and the included studies were evaluated using standardized quality assessment tools.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies mentioned the LH prevalence in different genders, of which two are about gestational diabetes; therefore, 20 studies were eventually included, providing data on 6238 patients. The prevalence of LH varied from 30.26% to 72.54%. Ten studies (4392 patients) were conducted with the adult diabetes patients of different genders over the age of 18, the total prevalence rate of LH was 51.73%, the LH prevalence in male gender was from 41.94% to 68.57% and the rate of the total population was 54.89% (2046 patients); The LH prevalence in female gender was from 33.18% to 70% and the rate of the total population was 48.98% (2346 patients), and the prevalence of LH was significantly different between male and female gender (P<0.001). Interestingly, only one study (n=1227) showed that there were dramatic differences between different genders (P<0.001), the subjects were T2DM patients, the LH prevalence rate of male vs female was 70.52% (299/424) VS 52.18% (419/803), while the other studies either only include T1DM or both T1DM and T2DM.

CONCLUSION

The evidence shows that the results of gender differences in the LH prevalence are inconsistent with different types of DM. Probably, there is no gender differences in the LH prevalence in adult patients with T1DM, but it has a gender difference between male and female in T2DM. More strictly designed clinical studies are needed to further verify and reveal the underlying mechanisms.

Characteristics and morphology of lipohypertrophic lesions in adults with type 1 diabetes with ultrasound screening: an exploratory observational study

INTRODUCTION

Lipohypertrophy is a common complication of exposure to insulin therapy. Despite the prevalence of lipohypertrophy and its potentially hazardous effects on glucose regulation, it remains a relatively understudied problem in diabetes. The objective of this study was to characterize lipohypertrophic tissue using ultrasound in adults with type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

An observational study of 74 people with type 1 diabetes from a diabetes center in South East London. Participants' insulin exposed areas were scanned with ultrasound, with a high-frequency linear probe (6-13 MHz). The observed tissue changes were described, measured and graded according to nodule size and thickness of the dermal layer.

RESULTS

Participants mean age and diabetes duration were 40.6 (±14.2) and 18.3 (±10.9) years, respectively, and 60% (n=44) were male. A total of 740 lipohypertrophic nodules were observed, ranging from 1.8 mm to 40 mm in width. The mean (SD/range) number of nodules per participants was 10.4 (±6.2/1-29). Delineation between the dermal layers was disrupted in all current injection sites. In 52 participants (70%), there was a 30% increase in dermal thickness compared with local none injected tissue, and in 36 participants (48%) the increase was 50%. The level of thickness was >3 mm in the abdominal areas of 22 (40%) of these participants and in thighs of eight participants (17.8%). Hypoechogenic areas suggestive of necrotic tissue were observed within the lipohypertrophic nodules of 22 (30%) participants. Needle length and nodule depth were correlated (r=0.69, p<0.001). A conceptual model of the insulin exposed tissue changes observed was constructed.

CONCLUSIONS

The study confirms that insulin-exposed tissue changes are heterogenous and has provided conceptual and grading frameworks for classifying these changes. Further studies are required to establish the clinical implications of these classifications, in relation to glucose regulation and other clinical parameters.