There are three ways to assess blood glucose control in type 1 diabetes (DM1): glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, general target less than or equal to 7%), time in the 70–180mg/dl range (general target 70% or higher), and capillary blood glucose. Diabetes education is a fundamental element in achieving self-management of the disease. It is based on three fundamental pillars: nutrition, insulin therapy, and management of diabetes technology (sensors, insulin pumps, smart insulin pens, and mobile applications). Drug treatment for DM1 consists of intensive insulin therapy using multiple dose injection (MDI) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). The choice of treatment regimen should be based on patient characteristics and other clinical considerations (e.g., pregnancy, presence of undetected hypoglycemia, or variable insulin requirements). There are currently no other insulin adjuvant therapies approved for use in DM1, although DM2 drugs such as GLP-1 analogs or SGLT2 inhibitors that may provide benefits in blood glucose control or weight loss have been used. Kidney-pancreas or pancreatic islet transplantation is considered a final option in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease together with or following renal transplantation or in individuals with undetected or severe recurrent hypoglycemia that does not respond to optimized management.
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