Artificial pancreas improves blood sugar control for kids ages 2-6,
study finds
Participants spent 3 more hours per day in target blood sugar range

Date:
March 16, 2023
Source:
University of Virginia Health System
Summary:
An artificial pancreas improves blood sugar control in children
ages 2 to 6 with type 1 diabetes, according to a new study.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An artificial pancreas originally developed at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology improves blood sugar control in children
ages 2 to 6 with type 1 diabetes, according to a new study. Details
of the clinical study and its findings were just published in the New
England Journal of Medicine.


========================================================================== Trial participants using the artificial pancreas spent approximately
three more hours per day in their target blood sugar range compared with participants in a control group who continued relying on the methods
they were already using to manage their blood sugar.

The Control-IQ system, manufactured by Tandem Diabetes Care, is a
diabetes management device thatautomatically monitors and regulates blood glucose. The artificial pancreas has an insulin pump that uses advanced
control algorithms based on the person's glucose-monitoring information
to adjust the insulin dose as needed.

Based on findings from two earlier studies, the system has previously
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people ages
6 and older with type 1 diabetes.

"After the resounding success of Control-IQ technology in people ages
6 and up, it is very rewarding to see our youngest patients, and often
the most challenging patients to help, benefit as well," said Marc
D. Breton, PhD, a UVA School of Medicine researcher who served as the
trial's principal investigator and was recently honored as UVA's 2022
Innovator of the Year. "With these results, we have now accumulated
years of clinical validation of this system across all age groups and
look forward to seeing this life-changing technology made available
to the broadest possible population." Used During Everyday Life The
study enrolled 102 children between ages 2 and 6 at three U.S. sites
(UVA, Stanford University and the University of Colorado) and randomly
assigned 68 of them to use the artificial pancreas system for 13 weeks,
while the remaining 34 children were assigned to the control group. All participants maintained their regular daily routines during the study.

On average, the time participants using the artificial pancreas spent
within their target blood glucose range was about 12 percentage points
higher than participants in the control group overall and 18 percentage
points higher during the overnight hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Nighttime
blood glucose control is particularly important, as severe, unchecked hypoglycemia (very low blood glucose levels) can lead to seizures,
coma or even death.

Overall, the researchers found, participants were able to use the
artificial pancreas safely. There were two cases of severe hypoglycemia
in the artificial pancreas group, compared with one in the control
group. There was also one case of diabetic ketoacidosis in the artificial pancreas group, caused by a failure of the thin plastic tube that connects
the insulin pump to the patient's body.

Of note, most of the study-related visits -- including 80% of the training sessions on the artificial pancreas and more than 90% of the overall
visits - - were conducted virtually. Achieving the reported results
under these conditions highlights the ease of use of the technology and
its potential for areas without easy access to endocrinologists.

"At the end of the day, this technology significantly improved glycemia
and ensured safety of our youngest patients, but perhaps just as
importantly it lessened these families' constant anxiety about glucose
levels, especially during the night." Breton said. "It is incredibly
rewarding for us to hear about these families' experiences and how they
manage to integrate these new tools in their life, offering some reprieve
to the challenges they face." Findings Published The study results have
been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study's authors are R. Paul Wadwa, Zachariah W. Reed, Bruce
A. Buckingham, Mark D. DeBoer, Laya Ekhlaspour, Gregory P. Forlenza,
Melissa Schoelwer, John Lum, Craig Kollman, Roy W. Beck and Breton.

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health's
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,
grant U01DK127551. Tandem Diabetes Care provided the investigational closed-loop systems used in the trial, while Dexcom, Inc. provided the continuous glucose monitor supplies used in the trial.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Diabetes # Hormone_Disorders # Hypertension #
Healthy_Aging # Blood_Clots # Medical_Topics #
Diseases_and_Conditions # Diet_and_Weight_Loss
* RELATED_TERMS
o Diabetes o Diabetes_mellitus_type_1 o Hyperglycemia o
Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 o Insulin o Sugar_substitute o
Diabetic_diet o Blood_sugar

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_Virginia_Health_System. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. R. Paul Wadwa, Zachariah W. Reed, Bruce A. Buckingham, Mark
D. DeBoer,
Laya Ekhlaspour, Gregory P. Forlenza, Melissa Schoelwer,
John Lum, Craig Kollman, Roy W. Beck, Marc D. Breton. Trial
of Hybrid Closed-Loop Control in Young Children with Type
1 Diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine, 2023; 388 (11):
991 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2210834 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230316140931.htm

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