A new treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes in Bermuda is proving to be both successful and popular.

In May, The Royal Gazette reported that five patients of the Diabetes Centre at King Edward Memorial Hospital became Bermuda's first users of insulin pump therapy.

The pump therapy frees those with Type I diabetes - who's bodies are incapable of producing insulin - from cumbersome daily injection routines and reduces the negative side effects associated with the disease.

The pioneer group, which received pumps eight weeks ago, ranged in age from two years to sixty odd.

They followed in the footsteps of the first local resident to begin the therapy, Judi Davidson, who started on the pump in March while the Diabetes Centre was looking into bringing the therapy to the Island in Atlanta.

This week, the number of local pumpers doubled however, as six more patients began the therapy.

And at least two more people may start on the therapy next month, the Royal Gazette was told.

"We've got huge interest," said the Diabetes Centre's Sara McKittrick. "We've got people knocking on our door. The only problem we're having is working people in with the other services we offer at the centre."

There are roughly 100 people in Bermuda with Type 1 diabetes and the newest case - a five year old boy - was diagnosed only Tuesday.

Doctors are unsure what causes Type 1 diabetes but the disease arises randomly and is not related to lifestyle as is the more common Type 2 diabetes which affects roughly 8,000 people locally.

The new group of pumpers consists of three teens and three adults. All will undoubtedly benefit from the lessons of pump pioneers however with whom they met prior to beginning their therapy.

And yesterday, the Diabetes Centre and pump nurse specialist Lisa Tolbert of Atlanta met with the original five pumpers and Ms Davidson to discuss how the group was adjusting to the new therapy and learn about different features offered by the pumps.

The pump is a tiny computer which monitors a diabetics blood sugar and allows the person to fine tune their doses of insulin according to the nutritional content of the meals they consume. The insulin flows from it, along a tube, and into the body.

The computer portion of the pump can be disconnected for short periods, such as when swimming or showering.

Its much more sophisticated delivery of insulin - in a continuous, regulated flow versus many injections of a static volume - reduces the negative side effects of the disease which include blindness and kidney failure.

Yesterday, the original group shared their stories of success and hiccups with one another.

Rachael McRonald, mother of youngest pump user, two-year-old Daniel, told the group that her son has been sneaking food from the cupboards, making it difficult for his parents to accurately calculate his doses.

But overall, the group were fine-tuning their systems and learning about new functions yesterday.

No one has experienced such severe side effects from the treatment that it had to be abandoned, said Ms McKittrick.