Insulin for Diabetes

One of the most common treatments for diabetes patients is the use of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows our body to control the glucose blood levels and when it is not present or not in enough quantity, diabetes develops. It's more commonly used to treat juvenile or type I diabetes but it is also sometimes used in the treatment of patients suffering from diabetes type II when other treatments fail or are unavailable.

Insulin has come a long way from its beginnings as a treatment for diabetes. At first, insulin was extracted from animals and then injected into the patient. The patients required several injections per day and eventually developed resistance to insulin needing higher doses every time. Then advances in medicine allowed for human insulin to be reproduced successfully, leading to a significant improvement in the efficacy of the hormone as a regulator of blood glucose.

Today, we not only have human insulin, scientists and researchers have developed different types of insulin which are more targeted to the specific needs of the patients. To do this, physicians work with their patients to determine the right glucose level and then choose the type of insulin that is right for them, whether it is long lasting, intermediate or short lasting insulin.

There are three characteristics in insulin that are considered to choose the method in which insulin is going to be used. They are the duration of the insulin, onset and peak time. The duration is for how long insulin controls the glucose level, the peak time is when insulin is at its greatest strength, and onset is the period of time insulin takes to reach the bloodstream. Depending n the needs of the patient, these three characteristics are considered to achieve the best treatment.

Constant injections of insulin directly into the bloodstream can carry some risks. Allergies and infections are two of the most dangerous complications that can occur due to improper hygiene or the patient's body condition. This is why an insulin pump was developed. An insulin pump works by inserting a catheter into the patient and pumping insulin directly into the blood stream with a pump. By using a pump, insulin can be infused into the patient continuously, which is more effective than injections.

Apart from the convenience of using a pump for insulin, bolus doses can be also be infused to act as carbohydrates. It also allows taking corrective emergency measures fast if necessary, without inserting needles and causing more pain and stress to the patient.