Evaluation of glycaemic profile variability as a basis for insulin therapy strategy in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Patients with any form of diabetes during pregnancy should achieve the target (close to physiological) values of glycaemia, the main condition for a safe course and outcomes of pregnancy. To accomplish this task, effective and safe methods of insulin therapy should be selected. AIM: To determine the glycaemic profile and pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and multiple insulin injections (MII). METHODS: A continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) of 100 pregnant women with type 1 diabetes treated with CSII and 100 women treated with MII was conducted to assess the effectiveness of these insulin therapy regimens in achieving target blood glucose values. RESULTS: HbA1c levels were significantly lower during the first, second, and third trimesters in patients treated with CSII than those treated with MII. Glucose variability has already improved since the second trimester of pregnancy in women treated with CSII, which was not observed in those treated with MII. The period of hyperglycaemia according to the results in pregnant women treated with CSII was 25 [13; 38] %, which was lower than those treated with MII, 41 [18; 54] %. No risk of obstetric and perinatal complications was observed with the duration of the hyperglycaemic state of <25% of the CGM time, whereas the risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia appeared with the duration of the hypoglycaemic state of a mother with type 1 diabetes of >0.2%. The relationship between glucose variability in terms of MAGE and MODD and the risk of developing macrosomia has been observed, and the dependence of glucose variability (MODD and CONGA) and the risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia and preeclampsia have also been confirmed. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive assessment of the glycaemic profile when using CSII, confirmed the advantages of using CSII in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes to achieve the target glycaemia values, to reduce glucose variability and duration of hypoglycaemic episodes, which led to decreased frequency of obstetric and perinatal complications