Impact of insulin pump on quality of life of diabetic patients

AIM: Diabetes is an emerging health problem, both in developing and developed countries and has an enormous economic and social impact. The objective of our study was to find the impact of insulin pump on the quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and compare it to the quality of life of patients with T2D using an insulin pen. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This is a case–control study which was conducted among patients with T2D presenting between November 2014 and November 2015. A total of 83 patients with T2D, using insulin pump were enrolled in the study as cases and 322 patients with T2D not using insulin pump but using insulin pens were enrolled as controls. Short form-36 quality of life questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: Mean age of patients using insulin pump was 52.49 ± 9.28 while the mean age of patients not using insulin pump was 54.72 ± 16.87. Mean score of all domains in the questionnaire was found to be higher in patients using insulin pump as compared to patients not using insulin pumps (P < 0.05). In 81.1% of the patients, the insulin pump decreased the frequency of hypoglycemic episodes. CONCLUSION: Insulin pump has significantly improved the quality of life of patients in terms of better self-esteem, decreased stress, and better mood. It has resulted in improved physical health, meal time flexibility, and ease of travel. It allows patient to have more active participation in social and recreational activities improving their personal and family life.