Who can use an insulin pump?

Who can use an insulin pump?

Type 1 Diabetics

Any Child/ adult with Type 1 Diabetes is an ideal patient to be started on an insulin pump, as he/she will otherwise require lifelong insulin injections upto 4 times per day. Many western countries offer Insulin pumps as first line treatment, to all children who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. In my clinical practice I have noticed that  children very quickly adapt to the settings and functioning of the pump, sometimes better than their parents. As a routine I offer insulin pump to all newly diagnosed patients with Type 1 Diabetes due to so many advantages over multiple daily injections.

Pancreatic Diabetics

Any child/ adult with Pancreatic diabetes will require lifelong insulin via multiple daily injections. Insulin pump therapy offers many advantages in these patients, as listed in the next section.

Insulin treated Type 2 Diabetics

Any patient who has had Beta cell failure, i.e where oral medications have ceased to be effective, needs to start insulin therapy via multiple daily injections. Although many insulin regimes - once daily, twice daily, thrice daily and four times daily- are available for these patients, insulin via insulin pump offers PRECISION treatment of Diabetes. This is important in the long term to avoid Diabetes related complications.