INTRODUCTION. Self control of glycaemia play a key role in intensive insulin therapy. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of selfcontrol in patients with type I diabetes treated with intensive functional insulin therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. We have recruited 100 patients aged 30.4 ± 10.1 years, with mean diabetes duration 9.7 ± 7.8 years, who were on intensive insulin therapy for 2.3 ± 1.2 years. All patients were given 5 day training about self adaptation of insulin doses. We assessed: self-control diary, number of daily glycaemia measurements and number of hypoglycaemic episodes. Our patients were divided into two groups: group A (< 3 glycaemia controls/day), group B (ł 3 glycaemia controls/day).
RESULTS. We observed that only 62.3% of patients kept self-control diary and 71% controlled glycaemia before main meals. We noticed significant difference in HbA_1c level between group A and group B: 8.7 ± 1.7 and 6.3 ± 1.2% respectively (p < 0.0001). Moreover, patients in group A had more hypoglycaemic episodes in comparison with group B: 2.07 ± 2.22 and 1.05 ± 1.97 episodes/month/patient respectively (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the number of glycaemia measurements in patients with and without diabetic complications, but patients with late complications usually kept a better self-control diary.
CONCLUSIONS. Intensive insulin therapy give good metabolic control and does not increase the risk of hypoglycaemia only in those patients who regularly control glycaemia before main meals.
Many patients treated with intensive functional insulin therapy do not keep diabetic diary.
Presence of late complications of diabetes do not motivate our patients to frequently control glycaemia.