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Abstract Disclosure: K. Citron-Zafrin: None. L. Richter: None. K. Williams: None. R. Gandica: None. I. Vargas: None. N. Leibel: None. Introduction/Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic diseases in pediatrics. T1D is particularly challenging to manage in children under 6 years old due to unpredictable eating patterns, rapid growth, and risk of extreme blood glucose levels. Diabetes wearable technology (insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)) has become increasingly prominent, but its use has not been well described in this age group. Objectives: We sought to characterize our experience with technology use in children with T1D less than 6 years old. Design/Methods: Retrospective chart review of 82 youth diagnosed with T1D before 6 years old, seen at our center from 2019-2023. Data was collected on demographic information, insurance type, use of insulin pump and CGM, hemoglobin A1c (A1c), diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hypoglycemic events. We used chi-square statistics to compare variables in our population with reported national data. Results: In this cohort, 80% used insulin pumps and 100% used CGMs, an increase from previously reported data (56% insulin pump use and 44% CGM use in those less than 6yo, p0.001). 54% had private insurance. There were more individuals with family members with T1D compared to reported data (35% vs. 22%, p=0.0041). The median age at diagnosis was 34 months, median time from diagnosis to pump start was 3.5 months. After diagnosis, 1 pump user and 1 multiple daily injections (MDI) user had DKA. One MDI user had hypoglycemia requiring intervention. Average A1C 12 months after diagnosis was 7.9% in the pump group and 8.2% in the MDI group. Hybrid closed loop pump users had an average A1C 6 months after placement of 7.7%. Conclusions: At our urban academic diabetes center, there was higher use of diabetes wearable technology as compared with previously reported data in this age group. There were more individuals with relatives with T1D compared to reported averages. The low rates of DKA and hypoglycemic events seen in this population support that these technologies can be used safely and soon after diagnosis. Although improved from national data, tight glycemic control remains a challenge in this very young age group. Presentation: 6/1/2024
Citron-Zafrin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.