The efficacy of automated insulin delivery systems in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes Mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIMS: Insulin administration is the treatment of choice for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Technological advances have led to the development of automated insulin delivery (AID) systems, aiming to optimize the quality of life of patients with T1D. We present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature about the efficacy of AID systems in children and adolescents with T1D.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) until August 8th, 2022, investigating the efficacy of AID systems in the management of patients < 21 years of age with T1D. A priori subgroup and sensitivity analyses based on different settings (free-living settings, type of AID system, parallel group or crossover design) were also conducted.

RESULTS

In total, 26 RCTs reporting a total of 915 children and adolescents with T1D were included in the meta-analysis. AID systems revealed statistically significant differences in the main outcomes, such as the proportion of time in the target glucose range (3.9-10 mmol/L) (p < 0.00001), in hypoglycemia (<3.9 mmol/L) (p = 0.003) and mean proportion of HbA1C (p = 0.0007) compared to control group.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the present meta-analysis, AID systems are superior to insulin pump therapy, sensor-augmented pumps and multiple daily insulin injections. Most of the included studies have a high risk of bias because of allocation, blinding of patients and blinding of assessment. Our sensitivity analyses showed that patients < 21 years of age with T1D can use AID systems, after proper education, following their daily activities. Further RCTs examining the effect of AID systems on nocturnal hypoglycemia, under free-living settings and studies examining the effect of dual-hormone AID systems are pending.