FREQUENCY OF LOCAL REACTIONS OF INSULIN IN SELF-INJECTING DIABETICS

Awayz A¹, Varghese JO², Padmanabha PH³, Mudigubba MK⁴, Selvan C⁵

¹Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, KA, India, ²Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Mangalore, KA, India, ³Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Mysore, KA, India, ⁴Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, KA, India ⁵Ramaiah Hospitals, Bangalore, India

OBJECTIVES:

The study aims to assess the frequency of local reactions in self-injecting diabetics on insulin therapy.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 361 self-injecting diabetic patients on insulin therapy in a tertiary care hospital, presenting as out-patients at the endocrinology department. The data collected from the study included demographics, medical and medication history, device and sites used for insulin injection, and occurrence of local reactions. Patients and caregivers were interviewed and the presence of these local reactions was confirmed by inspection of the site by the investigators.

RESULTS:

A total of 361 patients were screened, of which 261 subjects (72.3%) experienced at least one adverse effect related to insulin. Of these, 72 subjects experienced lipodystrophy, having a frequency of 19.9%, 23 patients (6.4%) experienced bruising, pigmentation at the site of injection was observed in 19 patients, constituting 5.3%. The frequency of local reactions such as injection site abscess, local infection/pus and pruritus showed a lower frequency of 0.3% each. The local reactions of insulin were observed in 117/361 patients, showing a frequency of 32.4%.

CONCLUSIONS:

Local reactions are adverse effects that often occur in patients on insulin therapy. These effects, although not life-threatening, may become the cause for patients to discontinue insulin therapy. This study showed that the frequency of local reactions in self-injecting diabetics on insulin therapy was 32.4%, which is higher than expected and requires the intervention.