Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism / 2015 / Vol 19 | Supplement 1S76

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Tight glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients is not possible because of hypoglycemia. Diabetic patients are forced to change their lifestyle to adjust to the disease condition and survive it. The best way to manage diabetes would be to develop a therapy, which could adjust to the patient’s conditions.[1]

A 6‑year‑old boy presented with classic features of diabetic ketoacidosis, that is, weight loss and extreme weakness and osmotic features. The fasting blood sugar level was 300 mg/dL, postprandial glucose level was 467 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 7.2%. He was administered with standard intravenous insulin and fluid, which finally brought down the fasting blood glucose level to around 120 mg/dL. He was administered basal‑bolus therapy and was discharged. Patient had two episodes of severe hypoglycemia. His parents were worried due to frequent checking of blood glucose levels many times in a day. The challenge was also to avoid urination in bed at night by the child. Otherwise he would

get a common cold. The patient remained unconscious in the middle of the night and was fed up with the frequent monitoring of blood sugar. The patient and the parents had severe anxiety, depression, frustration, and disgust. The parents considered diabetes as a curse on their family. He was informed about degludec/injection tresiba, which is not yet approved in children because of lack of experience. The physician explained to them that there was nothing wrong in administering it and is not contra‑indicated in T1DM.[2] The parents were also explained that insulin degludec may even help the child to convert from four injections to one injection a day, and from very frequent monitoring to once in a day. After reviewing the literature about insulin degludec, the parents were finally convinced about it. The patient was then put from basal‑bolus to 2 bolus plus 1 basal and finally degludec at 16 U. Over the period of time, blood sugar level came to normal at around 110 mg/dL‑pre meal. The patient was trained very well that if he wanted to reduce the frequency of monitoring of blood sugar level, then he had to follow small frequent meals. This made him felt happy because once the sugar was controlled then small amount of sweets was also given. The techniques resulted in good compliance from the patient. The patient did not report any hypoglycemic event over a period of 3 months. This was a big relief for the patient and his parents. Later parents were told that the child may require basal‑bolus therapy. The outcomes of this case study were that in case of T1DM the physician should not be very aggressive except during the first 2 weeks of admission.

Corresponding Author: Dr. Surender Kumar, Department of Endocrinology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi ‑ 110 060, India. E‑mail: doctorsuren@yahoo.co.uk

Brief Communication

Type 1 diabetes mellitus‑common cases Surender Kumar Department of Endocrinology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India

A B S T R A C T

Tight glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients is associated with the risk of hypoglycemia. Diabetic patients are forced to change their lifestyle to adjust to the disease condition and survive it. The best way to manage diabetes would be to develop a therapy, which could adjust to the patient’s conditions. Here, I present few cases wherein switching to a long‑acting basal insulin analog helped combat recurrent hypoglycemic episodes experienced by the patients.

Key words: Basal insulin analog, hypoglycemia, type 1 diabetes mellitus

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Quick Response Code: Website: www.ijem.in

DOI: 10.4103/2230-8210.155409

Kumar: Common cases of diabetes

Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism / 2015 / Vol 19 | Supplement 1 S77