Sign up for a new account.
And get access to
The latest T1D content
Research that matters
Our daily questions
Sign up by entering your info below.
Reset Your Password
Don't worry.
We will email you instructions to reset your
password.
Background
Half-unit pens offer the ability to dose insulin more precisely. Information about half-unit pen use and evidence of their benefits and drawbacks is limited. This study aims to characterize people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who have used (current/former = EVER) vs. those who have never used half-unit pens (NEVER users) and to understand their perspective.
Methods
An observational cross-sectional online survey was administered through T1D Exchange’s online patient community, myGlu.org, to understand the use of half-unit insulin pens.
Results
The 278 adult participants (156 EVER, 122 NEVER) had a mean age of 41.8 ± 12.7 years, body mass index of 26.0 ± 3.8 kg/m2, glycated hemoglobin of 6.3% ± 1.0%, and 55% were male. EVER users had T1D for a shorter duration than NEVER users (p < .001). EVER users were less likely to use continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (p < .001) and more likely to start correcting high blood glucose at a lower level (p < .001) and low blood glucose at a higher level (p < .001). The highest ranked benefits of half-unit pen reported by its current users (N = 131) included prevention of hyperglycemia (40.5%), less anxiety or worry (23.7%), and prevention of hypoglycemia (16.8%).