Only 4% of Type 1 Diabetics in the UK have a pump

The JDRF have been publishing a list of facts about Diabetes over the last few days, as it is Diabetees awareness month. Today’s fact is:

Insulin pumps can help improve quality of life for people with type 1. But only about 4% of people with type 1 diabetes in the UK currently use insulin pumps, one of the lowest rates of pump therapy in any developed nation. Compared to the US at over 20% and some Scandinavian countries well over 50%, our approach is embarrassing.

Since Samuel was put forward for his insulin pump, I’ve been doing a lot of background research on them, as any parent would.

There are lots of advantages. Here’s just one list I found when I Googled “advantages of an insulin pump”.

– Using an insulin pump means eliminating individual insulin injections
– Insulin pumps deliver insulin more accurately than injections
– Insulin pumps often improve A1C
– Using an insulin pump usually results in fewer large swings in your blood glucose levels
-Using an insulin pump makes diabetes management easier – if your glucose level is high or you feel like eating, figure out how much insulin you need and push the little button on the pump
– Insulin pumps allow you to be flexible about when and what you eat
– Using an insulin pump can improve your quality of life
– Using an insulin pump reduces severe low blood glucose episodes
– Using an insulin pump eliminates unpredictable effects of intermediate- or long-acting insulin
– Insulin pumps allow you to exercise without having to eat large amounts of carbohydrate

All very true. But whenever, I see short headlines about the advantages of inuslin pumps, it is always about improving the quality of life of the user. As if all the health benefits are secondary. Its about the emphasis of the message but I think we might have it a bit back to front, certainly here in the UK. And I was wondering whether this is the reason why only 4% of diabetics in the UK have a pump.

We have a wonderful and unique health care system, but they obviouosly have to prioritise. And when someone looks to approve funding for something that “improves quality of life”, I imagine its easy for some middle manager to do a Zammo and “Just say no” (apologies to any international readers – that was an ’80’s BBC TV reference).

In the short time that Samuel has been using his pump (and I will probably expand on this in the future), I have been mighty impressed on how it helps to ‘tighten’ the control of his condition. We can narrow the window his BM’s should be at to between 4 & 7 (72 to 126 in the US) and the pump does it’s level best to keep him in there. It is far more effective than we could ever be doing it manually.

The long term health benefits of this have got to be significant. Another fact on the JDRF fact list is that Type 1 diabetics can expect to live 15-20 years less than the norm, because in part of the cumulative effects of poorly managed BM’s.

A pump helps improve BM management, on a micro level. And that has to improve long term health. So I think this needs to become the key message about pump therapy, not lifestyle benefits.

And then perhaps more than 4% of the population could benefit in the same way Sam has.