Insulin Degludec improves Blood Glucose but Does Not Alter Arterial Stiffness in Type 1 Diabetes Patients

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by insulin deficiency.Insulin degludec is newly developed ultra-long-acting insulin analog. However, the effect of insulin degludec on the artery is unclear. Aim:To study the efficacy of insulin degludec on artery. Methods: 28T1DM patients already onbasalbolus insulin therapy were enrolled.Patients were divided into a group that switched from insulin glargine to insulin degludec (degludec group, n=14) and a group that continued to inject insulin glargine (glargine group, n=14).We observed the change in cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) that reflects arterial stiffness. Results: After 6 months,degludecsignificantly improved fasting blood glucose (FBG; -95.57 ± 93.06 mg/dl, P < 0.005) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c: -0.73 ± 0.53 %, P < 0.0005).The decreasesinFBG and HbA1c in degludec groupwere significantly differentfrom the changesin glarginegroup (FBG: -95.57 ± 93.06 mg/dl vs+23.21 ± 70.44 mg/dl, P < 0.01; HbA1c: -0.73 ± 0.53 % vs -0.03 ± 0.75 %, P < 0.01).The changeinCAVIwas not significantly different between two groups. Conclusion:These results suggest that switching from insulin glargine to insulin degludec improves blood glucose, but does not ameliorate arterial stiffness.