HealthDay News — For patients diagnosed with diabetes, use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is associated with reductions in the risk of death and fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the use of insulin injections, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna.
“Insulin pump treatment is given for improved glycemic control and quality of life. However, studies on the effect of CSII on long-term risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality are lacking,” wrote Soffia Gudbjörnsdottir, MD, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and colleagues.
To examine the effect of CSII on long-term risk for CVD and mortality, the investigators analyzed data obtained from 2,441 patients with CSII and 15,727 with multiple daily insulin injections. Patients were followed for a mean of nearly seven years.
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Patients with CSII had a 29% lower likelihood of all-cause mortality and a 43% lower likelihood of developing fatal CVD, compared with patients using multiple daily insulin injections. Both results were statistically significant, noted the scientists. Pump use correlated with an 18% risk reduction in fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease (borderline statistical significance).
