Type 1 diabetes control and pregnancy outcomes in women treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or with insulin glargine and multiple daily injections of rapid-acting insulin analogues (glargine-MDI).

Aim. – The best way to treat pregnant patients who have type 1 diabetes is still unclear. For this reason, the present study compared metabolic control and maternal–fetal outcomes in patients treated with continuous subcutaneous infusions of rapid-acting insulin analogues (CSII) or with insulin glargine and multiple daily injections of rapid-acting insulin analogues (glargine–MDI). Methods. – This retrospective multicentre study involved 144 women with type 1 diabetes, 100 of whom were using CSII and 44 glargine–MDI. Outcomes analyzed were metabolic control, diabetes complications, pregnancy outcome, perinatal morbidity and mortality, and fetal malformations. Results. – The two groups were comparable for age, prepregnancy BMI, primiparous rate and diabetes complications, although patients using CSII had longer duration of diabetes (P = 0.03) and higher White classifications (P = 0.04). In both groups, metabolic control improved during pregnancy, but good control was reached earlier among patients using CSII. At parturition, patients using CSII had lower HbA1c (6.2 ± 0.7% vs 6.5 ± 0.8%; P = 0.02) and required less insulin (P < 0.01). Weight gain was similar in both groups, and maternal–fetal outcomes did not differ. Conclusion. – In pregnant patients with type 1 diabetes, MDI and CSII are equivalent in terms of metabolic control and fetal–maternal outcomes, although patients using CSII achieved good control earlier and with less insulin.