Abstract
In this pilot study, two programmes for basal insulin substitution with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion were compared in nine Type 1 diabetic patients with respect to early morning fasting blood glucose. The patients were randomly assigned two periods of four weeks with each regimen. The variability of fasting as well as of all blood glucose values was calculated as the standard deviation of the blood glucose. Basal insulin was given either at a constant rate or with 30% of the nocturnal dose being given between 9.00 pm and 2.00 am and 70% between 2.00 am and 7.00 am. The mean fasting blood glucose and the standard deviation of the fasting values were similar (7.8±3.5 vs 7.7±3.7 and 3.1±0.5 vs 3.5±0.7 mmol/l) during the constant as compared to the variable programme. Notably, the mean and standard deviation of all blood glucose values were lower when basal insulin was given at a constant rate overnight (8.9±4.1 vs 9.2±4.2, p<0.05, and 3.8±0.2 vs 4.1±0.5 mmol/l, p<0.05). In this short‐term study on the use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion with patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes, we were thus unable to register a beneficial effect of a variable nocturnal insulin substitution programme on blood glucose control.