A US study has suggested children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes using insulin pumps may have a lower likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy (DR).

The association is most likely owing to the percentage of time blood glucose levels remain within the 70-180 mg/dL range, senior author, Assistant Professor Roomasa Channa, University of Wisconsin, told Medscape Medical News. "In clinical practice, we should encourage young patients with type 1 diabetes to utilise technologies, such as insulin pumps, which improve glycaemic control and reduce risk of retinopathy."

In the cross-sectional study of 1,640 youths with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, 3.5% had DR at the time of screening, with risk factors including duration of diabetes and higher mean haemoglobin A1c level. Among those with type 1, insulin pump use was associated with a lower likelihood of DR after adjusting for race and ethnicity, insurance status, diabetes duration and haemoglobin A1c level (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20-0.93; P = 0.03), researchers reported.

The authors suggested future studies could investigate whether improved access to diabetes-control technologies mitigate the known racial disparities in DR prevalence. They concluded that outcomes may improve further with the increased use of closed-loop or automated insulin delivery systems.

The study was published by Jama Network Open.