Use of insulin pump in children with type I diabetes mellitus: effect on glycemic control and body mass indices [BMI]

To assess the effect of an insulin pump on the glycemic control as well as the body mass index [BMI] of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus [DM1], 23 patients under the age of 18 years were monitored for one year or more. HbAlc concentration decreased from 9.36 +/- 2.02% to 8.54 +/- 1.149%. The BMI increased significantly from 17.12 +/- 2.236 to 20.4 +/- 2.93. No hypoglycemia was reported in any of the patients after using the pump. Three incidences of diabetic-ketoacidosis [DKA] were reported due to two pump malfunctions and one patient error. All except two wanted to continue with the pump because of the desirable flexibility of their lifestyle including activity and meal times