Effectiveness of Insulin Analogs Compared with Human Insulins in Pregnant Women with Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

A comparison of the safety and effectiveness of insulin aspart with other bolus insulins in women with pre-existing Type 1 diabetes during pregnancy: A post hoc analysis of a prospective cohort study

AIMS

The safety and efficacy of insulin analogue insulin aspart (IAsp) have been demonstrated in a randomised clinical trial in pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), and IAsp is widely used during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess glycaemic control and safety of IAsp versus other bolus insulins in Type 1 diabetic pregnancy in a real-world setting.

METHODS

This was a post hoc analysis of a prospective cohort study of 1840 pregnant women with T1D, treated with IAsp (n = 1434) or other bolus insulins (n = 406) in the Diabetes Pregnancy Registry. The primary (composite) outcome was the proportion of pregnancies resulting in major congenital malformations or perinatal or neonatal death. Secondary outcomes included all HbA1c values measured immediately before and during pregnancy and major hypoglycaemia, as well as abortion, pre-eclampsia, pre-term delivery, large for gestational age at birth, stillbirth and fetal malformations.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences found in any of the pregnancy outcomes between treatment with IAsp and other bolus insulins in either the crude or propensity score-adjusted analyses. However, maternal HbA1c was lower in the IAsp group at the end of the third trimester (adjusted difference, -0.16% point [95% CI -0.28;-0.05]; -1.8 mmol/mol [95% CI -3.1;-0.6]; p = 0.0046).

CONCLUSIONS

No significant differences in safety or pregnancy outcomes were demonstrated when comparing treatment with IAsp versus other bolus insulins in women with T1D during pregnancy. The observed improvement in HbA1c with IAsp in late pregnancy should be confirmed in other studies.

Medications for Managing Preexisting and Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy

Persons with gestational and pregestational diabetes during pregnancy may require pharmacologic agents to achieve pregnancy glycemic targets, and the available medications for use in pregnancy are limited. Insulin is the only FDA-approved medication for use in pregnancy and has the greatest evidence for safety and efficacy. Metformin and glyburide are the most commonly used oral agents in pregnancy. Understanding each medication's unique pharmacokinetics, potential side effects, fetal or childhood risks, gestational age of medication initiation and patient's diabetes care barriers are important aspects of shared decision-making and choosing a regimen that will achieve glycemic and pregnancy goals.

Barriers and Facilitators to Diabetes Self-Management in Pregnant Women with Pre-existing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Pregnant women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at risk of poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Previous systematic reviews on pregnant women with T2DM have focused on physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, and insulin injections.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the barriers and facilitators to diabetes self-management in pregnant women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were searched using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Inclusion criteria included manuscripts written in English and qualitative studies. Consensus statements were excluded. A metasummary was used to identify patterns in barriers and facilitators across studies. A vote-counting method was used to summarize qualitative findings.

RESULTS

A total of ten qualitative publications were selected. This review suggests four themes describing barriers, including barriers to diabetes self-management in pregnancy, stress related to pregnancy with diabetes, a barrier to access to health care, and sensing a loss of control. The fifth theme described facilitators of diabetes self-management in pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

This supports an integrative model of maternity care and culturally relevant practices to overcome critical barriers and optimize key facilitators to enhance diabetes self-management behaviors and improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

Safety and efficacy of insulin detemir versus NPH in the treatment of diabetes during pregnancy: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

AIMS

To compare the safety and efficacy of insulin detemir versus neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) in pregnant women with diabetes.

METHODS

MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Google Scholar databases, and ClinicalTrials.gov registry were searched from inception to December 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning adult women with singleton pregnancies, gestational or pregestational diabetes, and the need for insulin therapy. A systematic review and a meta-analysis (weighted data, random-effects model) were performed. Continuous outcomes were expressed as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) (inverse variance method); dichotomous outcomes were expressed as risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI (Mantel-Haenszel method). Heterogeneity was quantified using the I² index.

RESULTS

Five RCTs involving 1450 participants met the inclusion criteria. Outcomes that showed significant results in favor of insulin detemir over NPH were maternal hypoglycemic events (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.86, p = 0.003; I² = 0%) and gestational age at delivery (MD 0.48, 95% CI 0.16-0.81, p = 0.003; I² = 0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin detemir was associated with less maternal hypoglycemic events and decreased risk for prematurity compared with NPH insulin. More research should be conducted to reach a safe conclusion about the optimal insulin regimen for women with diabetes in pregnancy.