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Introduction The burden of diabetes, its potential complications, and related self-care activities can induce negative psychosocial effects in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This prospective cohort study investigated the psychosocial benefits associated with 3 months of FreeStyle Libre (FSL) flash glucose monitoring use in young adults with T1DM in Saudi Arabia. Methods Patients completed the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires at baseline and 3 months. HbA1c, number of confirmed hypoglycemia episodes per month, and frequency of blood glucose testing were also collected at baseline and 3 months. Results Of 95 patients analyzed, significant reductions were observed in mean DDS (3.8 vs. 2.5; p

Aim To study and explore the intervention of the flash glucose monitoring system (FGMS) on diabetes-related distress (DRD) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods A 12-week prospective study was performed from March 2019 to July 2019 involving 187 children and adolescents (age range 13–19 years; 56.7% female) with T1D who were self-testing their glucose levels using the conventional fingerprick method. At the time of the baseline visit, FGMS sensors were fixed by a trained diabetes educator onto each patient in the study population. A trained interviewer also administered the 28-item T1-Diabetes Distress Scale (T1-DDS) questionnaire to each participant at the baseline visit and again after 12 weeks to determine the T1-DDS score. Results Comparison of the baseline (fingerprick) data with data collected at 12 weeks after the patients had switched to the FGMS revealed a significant decrease in the subdomains of the T1-DDS as follows: powerlessness (p = 0.0001); management distress (p = 0.0001); hypoglycemia distress (p = 0.0001); negative social perceptions (p = 0.0001); eating (p = 0.0001); physician distress (p = 0.0001); friend/family distress (p = 0.0001); and total T1-DDS score (p = 0.0001). Similarly, analysis of the data revealed that there was also a substantial drop from baseline to 12 weeks after initiation of the intervention in the clinical variables assessed, such as glycosylated hemoglobin; specifically, there was a considerable decrease after 12 weeks in the frequency of hypoglycemia. Interestingly, the frequency of glucose monitoring also showed an upswing among users of the FGMS. Conclusion The outcomes of this study clearly demonstrate that once the patients had been switched from the fingerprick method to FGMS, the DRD and related clinical parameters showed remarkable improvement. However, further studies are necessary to determine whether the continued and consistent use of the FGMS will achieve better results.

Introduction This study was conducted to investigate the fear of self-injecting and self-testing and its related risk factors among adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods From December 2015 to April 2016, a cross-sectional study was performed at the Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 142 registered T1DM patients between 13 and 19 years of age. Selection of the respondents was done deliberately and carefully, and the suitable patients were given specific identification numbers. A trained interviewer administered the short Diabetes Fear of Injecting and Self-testing Questionnaire to each patient. It included two subscales estimating the fear of self-injection (FSI) and fear of self-testing (FST). Each patient’s age, gender, weight, height, adjusted body mass index (BMI), duration of the diabetic condition, treatment modality, insulin dosage, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were recorded. Results The study found that the overall mean score of FSI was 2.44 ± 0.96, whereas that of FST was 2.25 ± 1.04. Adolescents above 16 years of age, treated with multiple daily insulin (MDI), on higher insulin doses, having poor glycemic control, and fewer finger pricks were observed to show significant risk factors for fear of self-injection of insulin, whereas in those patients having a long duration of T1DM, MDI treated, on higher insulin doses, with poor glycemic control, and fewer finger pricks showed significant risk factors for fear of self-testing of blood glucose. From the regression analysis it was evident that the variables of higher age, MDI treatment, and fewer finger pricks were independent risk factors for fear of self-injection of the insulin, whereas a fewer number of finger pricks was an independent risk factor for fear of self-testing the blood glucose. Conclusion Fear of self-injecting and fear of self-testing are common among adolescents with T1DM. Therefore, it is essential to ensure comprehensive multidisciplinary diabetes education to lower the risk factor of fear of injections.

Introduction The aim of this study was to explore the impact of insulin pump therapy on diabetes treatment satisfaction and glycemic control among patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Saudi Arabia. Methods A 6-month, prospective study was conducted among 47 patients (aged 17–24 years) with T1DM who attended the Insulin Pump Clinic at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between April 2014 and November 2014. The respondents were purposively and conveniently selected and were interviewed using the Arabic version of the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Demographics and clinical variables including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were also collected. Results The mean (±standard deviation) age of the study cohort was 19.1 ± 1.93 years. Seventeen patients were male (36.2%) and 30 were female (63.8%). Compared to baseline, significant positive differences were found in treatment satisfaction among female patients and patients with long-standing T1DM at 6 months. Frequency of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia declined significantly in female patients at 6 months and in patients who had a shorter duration of T1DM. Furthermore, significant positive differences were found in HbA1c levels among female patients and among those who had a shorter duration of T1DM compared to baseline. Both female and male patients and those with a shorter duration of T1DM showed a significant decline in insulin necessity at 6 months when compared to baseline. Conclusion Although multiple daily injections is a feasible preference for insulin supply, insulin pumps should also be considered for patients with T1DM as it appears to increase patients’ treatment satisfaction, decrease the frequency of hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and reduce HbA1c levels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13300-015-0107-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.