Skin-Related Complications Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Using Insulin Pump Therapy

Abstract

Background: To identify the skin-related complications in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using the insulin pump therapy (IPT). Methods: A total of 64 T1D adolescents (between ages 13 and 19) using the insulin pump were included in this cross-sectional study. They had visited the Diabetes Clinic at Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Saudi Arabia, for treatment from January 2018 to March 2018. Data on the prior and present skin-related complications, for a 6-month interval, were gathered via a closed/structured questionnaire. Besides this, demographic information was also recorded. Results: From the patients in this study (n = 64), 9.3% experienced 3 or more skin-related complications, whereas 7.8% patients registered 2 and 25% had only 1 such disorder. However, in 37 patients (51.8%), there was no evidence of skin-related complications. Significantly, the female revealed a higher level of issues ( P = .036), >3 years on IPT ( P = .039), negligence of infusion set rotation ( P = .001), needle length of 9 mm ( P = .021), and beyond 3 days for catheter replacement ( P = .022). The factors age, body mass index, diabetes duration, and insulin dosage remained quite unaffected. From the regression analysis, the factors female gender, catheter replacement, and infusion set rotation showed up as the independent risk factors for the skin complications. Conclusions: The IPT users invariably experience dermatologic conditions. Through this study, female gender, length of IPT usage time, and infusion set rotations were identified as the independent risk factors responsible for the skin issues.