With the Animas® 2020 insulin pump, having your body perform well inside and out is the goal. While multiple daily injections can make that possible, pumping definitely has some advantages.
For example, we think you should be able to live your life without worrying that your control isn't as tight as it could be, or you'll go low in the middle of a corporate presentation, or you'll sleep through your alarm—and your morning insulin dose. Not to mention some 1,400 needle sticks a year.
With that in mind, here are some of the main advantages to pumping.
1. Lower A1c levels
Studies show that people who use insulin pumps have lower A1c levels—a measure of blood sugar control over time—than those who take multiple daily injections.1 That’s important, because research shows that the lower the A1c, the lower the risk of development and progression of long-term complications like blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and amputation. In fact, any sustained lowering of blood sugar helps lower these risks, even in people with a history of poor control.2
2. Better day-to-day blood sugar control
Pumpers can also feel like they’ve finally "gotten off the roller coaster," experiencing fewer highs and lows.1
3. Fewer hypoglycemic episodes
Pumpers have been shown to experience fewer episodes of severe hypoglycemia than those who take injections, including during the night.3
4. More flexibility
Insulin pumps like the Animas 2020 are designed to keep up with schedules that change from day to day. Unlike multiple injections, the pump gives you the freedom to sleep in, decide when and if you want to eat, choose when and how long to exercise, and so on—no "clock watching" required. Travel can be less of a challenge. You can simply change the pump's clock when you travel across time zones.
5. Improved control
As your life changes, so do your insulin needs. Insulin pumps like the Animas 2020 put you in control by enabling you to make basal rate adjustments depending on your needs and delivering your insulin with greater precision. That makes life's little challenges—like stress, illness, social events and unexpected delays—much more manageable.
6. Less hassle
Multiple daily injections take time and effort. Even with long-acting insulin—which requires you to inject rapid-acting insulin at each meal or snack—it's not uncommon to take five or more injections a day.
7. Exercise confidence
Living an active life is easier with an insulin pump. Meal bolus adjustments make after-meal exercise less troublesome, and temporary basal rate reductions make blood sugar much more manageable during prolonged activities such as a day of competing or a long bike ride.
8. Fewer injections
Intensive therapy with multiple daily injections can add up to as many as 1,460 needle sticks a year. Meanwhile, insulin pumps require an infusion set change only about three times a week, or 156 insertions a year.
1. Hoogma RPLM, Hammond PJ, Gomis R, Kerr D, Bruttomesso D, Bouter KP, et al. Comparison of the effects of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and NPH-based multiple daily insulin injections (MDI) on glycaemic control and quality of life: results of the 5-nations trial. Diabet Med. 2005;23:141-147.
2. Stratton IM, Adler AL, Neil AW, Matthews DR, Manley SE, et al. Association of glycaemia with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 35): prospective observational study. BMJ. 2000;321:405-412.
3. Bode BW, Sabbah HT, Gross TM, Fredrickson LP, Davidson PC. Diabetes management in the new millennium using insulin pump therapy. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2002;18(suppl 1):S14-S20.