Assessment of Insulin Therapy in 281 Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes in Senegal

Introduction: In Senegal, with the CDIC “Changing Diabetes In children” project, insulin has been made free. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accessibility and modalities of insulin therapy in the management of type 1 diabetes. Methodology: This was a retrospective study including patients followed for type 1 diabetes (T1DM) in hospital between April 2018 and December 2020. Results: 281 patients were included. The mean age was 14.22 years. The mean age at diagnosis was 11.28 years. Ketoacidosis was the main mode of discovery of diabetes at 51.6%. Premix and rapid insulins were most commonly used at 84.7% and 82.9% respectively, most often in combination. The most commonly used treatment regimen was three injections/day in 82.5% of cases. The average daily insulin dose was 0.62 IU/Kg/dr. Of the patients, 219 (78%) were self-monitoring of blood glucose. The average number of blood glucose checks was 1.78 per day. 76 patients (27%) went days without an insulin injection and up to 7 days in 51% of cases. The main reasons were forgetfulness, therapeutic errors and stock-outs. Hypoglycaemia was observed in 14.2%. The average glycated haemoglobin was 10%. Conclusion: Despite the efforts made, there are still challenges to improve access to insulin. The reinforcement of therapeutic education on insulin therapy is essential for a better quality of life of diabetic children and adolescents.