Treating DM Lipohypertrophy: Intensive Education vs Standard Care

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Treating Diabetic Lipohypertrophy with Intensive Education vs Standard Care: A Randomized, Prospective, Controlled Study in Ealing, United Kingdom

  • IRAS ID

    167263

  • Contact name

    Grace Vanterpool

  • Contact email

    g.vanterpool@nhs.net

  • Sponsor organisation

    BD

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    NCT02271594

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 8 months, 28 days

  • Research summary

    Past studies have shown that long-term insulin usage can lead to changes in the fatty tissue below the skin surface at injection sites. Small nodules or swollen areas can appear which may adversely affect the absorption of insulin. These nodules/swellings are called ‘lipohypertrophy’ (or colloquially called ‘lipos’), which means ‘disorders of fat tissue’. They are not malignant and do not behave like tumours. We still do not know what causes lipos or the best way to prevent and/or treat them. Lipos cause insulin absorption to be delayed or become erratic and unpredictable and patients who have them have worse glucose control, have more hypoglycaemia and consume excessive quantities of insulin. The objective of this study is to determine whether an alternative approach to treating lipos (intensive education, site rotation and shorter needles) is equal to, better than or worse than our usual approach (standard care).

  • REC name

    London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    14/LO/1997

  • Date of REC Opinion

    4 Feb 2015

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion