A Study of Rapid-Acting Mealtime Insulin in Children and Adolescents With Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a challenging medical disorder, especially in children and adolescents. In order to prevent the chronic complications of hyperglycemia, the maintenance of near-normal glycemic control must be balanced with minimizing hypoglycemia. Although many pediatric endocrinologists provide an ICR plan for their newly diagnosed patients with T1DM, fixed dosing and other forms of insulin delivery are available. This proposal is designed to compare children and adolescents with newly diagnosed T1DM using a fixed insulin dose for fixed carbohydrate mealtime regimen (FIXED group) to children and adolescents with newly diagnosed T1DM using an ICR with variable carbohydrate intake (ICR group) mealtime regimen. In addition to determining the feasibility for a subsequently larger clinical trial, the aims of this investigator-initiated, prospective proposal, is twofold. The first is to determine if the caregivers of diabetics using a fixed insulin for fixed carbohydrate regimen (FIXED group) experience less anxiety than the caregivers of those using an ICR with variable carbohydrate intake regimen (ICR group) at 1- and 4-months post-randomization. The second is to determine if diabetics utilizing a fixed insulin for fixed carbohydrate regimen (FIXED group) have decreased glycemic variability (GV) than those using an ICR with variable carbohydrate intake regimen (ICR group) at 1- and 4-months post-randomization.