Basal insulin requirement in patients with type 1 diabetes depends on the age and body mass index

Aims/Introduction To investigate the basal insulin requirement in patients with type 1 diabetes who are on multiple daily injections (MDI) and to assess the patient characteristics that affect the percent of total daily basal insulin dose to the total daily insulin dose (%TBD/TDD). Materials and Methods The subjects of this study were 67 inpatients with type 1 diabetes who were served diabetic meals of 25-30 kcal/kg standard body weight during several weeks of hospitalization. The basal insulin requirement was adjusted to keep the blood glucose level from bedtime to before breakfast within a 30 mg/dL difference. The bolus insulin dose before the meal was adjusted to keep the blood glucose level below 140 and 200 mg/dL before and 2 h after each meal, respectively. The total daily insulin dose (TDD), the percent of total daily basal insulin dose (TBD) to TDD (%TBD/TDD), and clinical characteristics were collected. Results The median (Q1, Q3) of TDD was 33.0 (26.0, 49.0) units, and the %TBD/TDD was 24.1 +/- 9.8%. The %TBD/TDD was positively correlated with the body mass index (BMI) and negatively correlated with the age at the onset and at the examination according to a univariate analysis. However, the %TBD/TDD was dependent on the BMI (beta = 0.340, P = 0.004) and the age at examination (beta = -0.288, P = 0.012) according to the multiple regression analysis. Conclusions The average %TBD/TDD in patients with type 1 diabetes on MDI was approximately 24% under inpatient conditions. The basal insulin requirement was dependent on the BMI and the age at examination.

Automated summary

The study found that the average percentage of total daily basal insulin dose to total daily insulin dose in patients with type 1 diabetes on multiple daily injections (MDI) was approximately 24%. The percentage was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and negatively correlated with age at onset and at examination.