People with type 1 diabetes have a significantly reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease if they use insulin pumps, rather than injections, a new study has found.

An insulin pump is a portable computerised device that is attached to the body. It is the size of a small mobile phone. It delivers continuous amounts of insulin 24 hours a day through a catheter that is placed under the skin.

The amount of insulin provided is based on the requirements of the person using the pump and this can be altered. If an insulin pump is not used, daily injections of insulin are required.

It is already known that adults with diabetes have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Swedish researchers decided to look into this further. They monitored the progress of over 18,100 people with type 1 diabetes between 2005 and 2012. Almost 2,500 of the participants used insulin pump therapy, while the rest needed multiple daily injections of insulin.

The study found that those who used the insulin pumps had a much lower risk - 50% - of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who injected. The researchers emphasised that the findings have been ‘fully verified'.

"There is a rationale for insulin pump treatment resulting in more stable blood glucose concentrations than multiple daily injections. Previous studies have shown that insulin pump can reduce the frequencies of severe hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes. Severe hypoglycaemia can be a risk factor for cardiovascular events, particularly among high risk individuals," commented the researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy.

They assessed the patients who used insulin pumps, but could not determine if the results were due to the continuous infusion of insulin, or whether they were attributable to ‘intensified glucose monitoring, increased motivation to control blood glucose, or a better knowledge about having diabetes type 1'.

Either way, this is good news for people with type 1 diabetes, they insisted. However, they acknowledged that while insulin pumps make life easier for those affected, ‘not everybody wants to use a pump, and the biggest priority is still to optimise blood glucose monitoring'.

Details of these findings are published in the British Medical Journal.

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