LH-COM
Evolution of cutaneous lipohypertrophies from insulin injection in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients, with and without nephropathy.
A multi-year study on cutaneous lipohypertrophies from insulin injection in diabetic patients.
The project assesses frequency, causes, clinical complications and the impact of structured education on correct injection technique.
The project
LH-COM is a multi-year research project, conducted from 2024 to 2026 at the Santa Rita Clinic, dedicated to the study of cutaneous lipohypertrophies in diabetic patients on insulin therapy. The efficacy of insulin also depends on its correct absorption after subcutaneous injection: administration errors can alter its effect, favouring severe hypoglycaemia, poor metabolic control and glycemic variability.
] The project investigates the presence of cutaneous lipodystrophies caused by injection errors in a population of diabetic subjects, with the aim of defining their frequency, causes and clinical consequences. The enrolled population is divided into two groups: one undergoing structured education on correct injection technique, the other receiving generic instructions.
Results
The main objective of LH-COM is to assess whether a structured educational pathway on correct insulin-injection technique is able to reduce the acute and chronic complications associated with injection errors, improving clinical outcomes and reducing related costs.
The project also aims to identify the distinctive medical, social and behavioural characteristics of a risk profile associated with lipohypertrophy-related complications.
A further objective is the creation of a predictive algorithm capable of identifying early on those subjects most exposed to the risk of complications, fostering more targeted and personalised diagnostic-therapeutic pathways. The expected results include a census of the frequency of lipodystrophies in the population of diabetic patients on insulin therapy and the assessment of the efficacy and durability of the educational intervention on complication-risk endpoints.
The project also envisages the creation of a predictive algorithm capable of describing risk phenotype and behaviours, with potential use in clinical practice.
The practical implications include raising the awareness of clinical teams about the importance of lipodystrophies, the optimisation of insulin therapy and injection techniques, the prevention of acute and chronic complications and the possible modification of current diagnostic-therapeutic pathways.
