Brittle diabetes: long-term control with a portable, continuous, intravenous insulin infusion system

USE OF INHALED INSULIN IN A PATIENT WITH SUBCUTANEOUS INSULIN RESISTANCE SYNDROME: A RARE CONDITION

Objective

Subcutaneous insulin resistance syndrome (SIRS) is a rare entity, characterized by increased resistance to subcutaneous insulin and normal sensitivity to intravenous insulin, with no increase in circulating insulin antibodies. Little is known about its pathophysiology, but it has been suggested to occur due to rapid subcutaneous degradation of insulin. Multiple treatment modalities have been used in the past to treat this condition.

Methods

We illustrate a case of a 17-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), presenting with recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) due to resistance to subcutaneously delivered insulin.

Results

We describe the challenges faced while attempting different modalities during her hospital stay, and eventually using inhaled insulin, which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in nonpregnant adults with T1DM.

Conclusion

SIRS is a difficult condition that may lead to patient frustration and carries a serious risk of recurrent DKA. We described this case to create awareness about SIRS, provide insight into the challenges of its management, and report the use of inhaled insulin to successfully dose meal-time insulin, along with intramuscular glargine for basal insulin.

Extreme subcutaneous, intramuscular and inhaled insulin resistance treated by pancreas transplantation alone

Diabetes mellitus with resistance to insulin administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly (DRIASM) is a rare syndrome and is usually treated with continuous intravenous insulin infusion. We present here two cases of DRIASM in 16 and 18 years female patients that were submitted to pancreas transplantation alone (PTA). Both were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as young children and had labile glycemic control with recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis. They had prolonged periods of hospitalization and complications related to their central venous access. Exocrine and endocrine drainages were in the bladder and systemic, respectively. Both presented immediate graft function. In patient 1, enteric conversion was necessary due to reflux pancreatitis. Patient 2 developed mild postoperative hyperglycemia in spite of having normal pancreas allograft biopsy and that was attributed to her immunosuppressive regimen. Patient 1 died 9 months after PTA from septic shock related to pneumonia. In 8 months of follow-up, Patient 2 presented optimal glycemic control without the use of antidiabetic agents. In conclusion, PTA may be an alternative treatment for DRIASM patients.

Management of diabetes resistant to subcutaneous insulin with intravenous insulin via an implanted infusion pump

Diabetes resistant to conventional subcutaneous insulin injection is a rare complication of insulin-dependent diabetes which poses a major management problem. We report three cases treated for a total of over seven patient years with fully implanted insulin infusion devices. Technical difficulties with the devices and their operation have been substantial but the patients are much improved and hospitalisation has been dramatically reduced. We suggest that implanted insulin pumps are a real treatment option for patients with this unusual syndrome.

Implantable infusion pump management of insulin resistant diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus with resistance to insulin administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly (DRIASM) is a rare and brittle form of Type I diabetes, found predominantly in young females and characterized by inadequate glycemic response to subcutaneous or intramuscular insulin administration. DRIASM leads to frequent ketoacidosis and obligatory hospitalization for administration of intravenous insulin. The use of a totally implantable infusion pump effected dramatic improvement in the treatment of five patients with this difficult form of diabetes. Frequency of clinical ketoacidosis was reduced from 37 episodes per year to 0.4 episodes per year (99%), and average in-hospital days per month were reduced from 20.8 days to 2.2 days (89%) with a mean follow-up period of 14.4 months. Cost savings were approximately +10,000 per patient month. Quality of life was greatly improved for these individuals.

Metabolic instability in type I diabetic patients. Studies on insulin absorption, hepatic production of metabolites and glucose counterregulation

In order to investigate the causes underlying metabolic instability in type I diabetes mellitus, we studied 8 unstable (group 1) and 4 well-controlled (group 2) diabetic patients, matched for age and duration of diabetes. Subjects were connected overnight to an artificial pancreas and brought to normoglycemia. On the following morning, insulin administration was discontinued for 6 hours and both metabolic and hormonal studies were carried out during this period. After insulin withdrawal, group 1 showed a faster rise of blood glucose (peak: 324.63 +/- 24.93 vs 175.25 +/- 42.63 mg/dl, p less than 0.01), beta-OH-butyrate (peak: 2,273.25 +/- 415.78 vs 550.50 +/- 158.17 mumol/l, p less than 0.01), and glycerol (164.10 +/- 38.90 vs 28.25 +/- 10.6 mumol/l, p less than 0.01). C-peptide secretion increased in group 2 from 0.09 +/- 0.052 to 0.22 +/- 0.099 pmol/ml whereas it remained almost undetectable in group 1 (p less than 0.01, group 1 vs group 2). Growth hormone, cortisol and immunoreactive glucagon were not significantly different in the two groups at any time after insulin withdrawal. Free insulin, after repeated s.c. or i.m. injection of porcine monocomponent insulin (10 IU), was not different in the two groups. We concluded that type I diabetic patients showing severe metabolic instability produced more glucose, ketone bodies and glycerol after insulin withdrawal than control 'stable' patients. This difference could not be accounted for by an excessive secretion of counterregulatory hormones or by an erratic insulin absorption from the injection sites and may have been related to the degree of B-cell failure, as measured by the absence of C-peptide and/or to the degree of insulin resistance.

Continuous intraperitoneal insulin infusion in the management of severely brittle diabetes--a metabolic and clinical comparison with intravenous infusion

We report a comparison of continuous intraperitoneal insulin infusion (CIPII) and continuous intravenous insulin infusion (CIVII) in 6 diabetic patients in whom severe hyperglycaemia and ketoacidosis could not be prevented with subcutaneous or intramuscular insulin. In the short term both methods were equally effective in maintaining glycaemic control. Blood glucose, glycerol, and 3-hydroxybutyrate levels were normal but lactate and pyruvate levels remained elevated with both treatments. Insulin requirements were significantly lower on CIPII than CIVII (70 vs 113 U/day, p less than 0.01). Intraperitoneal insulin delivery was associated with near physiological peripheral plasma insulin profiles in 3 patients. In the longer term CIVII was associated with frequent septicaemia and thrombosis, and was successful in preventing hospitalization for 6 months or more in only one patient. Despite technical problems with CIPII complications were less serious and hospital admission due to metabolic decompensation was prevented for 6 months or more in 3 patients. When subcutaneous insulin delivery is unsuccessful in the management of brittle diabetes, CIPII should be considered rather than CIVII because it is more likely to be successful and less likely to cause serious complications.

The treatment of unstable type I diabetes: conventional versus portable pump insulin administration

The treatment of unstable insulin-dependent diabetics (UIDD) is still an unsolved problem. A comparison was made between optimized conventional treatment (OCT) (Ultralente + Actrapid at breakfast, Actrapid at lunch and Actrapid at dinner) and continuous s.c. insulin infusion (CSII) for 30 days in 10 UIDD outpatients. Continuous 24-h blood glucose monitoring with an artificial pancreas, fasting values of HbA1, plasma lipids, growth hormone, glucagon, daily urinary glucose and protein excretion were recorded after each treatment; a daily blood glucose profile was determined every week. Daily mean blood glucose values dropped significantly (p less than 0.01): from 187.2 +/- 66.6 (OCT) to 111.6 +/- 27.0 mg/dl (CSII), and hypoglycemic and ketotic events disappeared during CSII. A significant improvement (p less than 0.01 - p less than 0.001) in all other parameters was also observed. It is suggested that CSII may help to improve metabolic control and the quality of life in UIDD.