Insulin and its role in Diabetes treatment
Diabetes treatment often involves Insulin therapy. This is true for Type 1 and some Type 2 Diabetics. The following questions and answers explain how important insulin is to the body and its role in the treating diabetes.
Q - What is insulin?
A - Insulin is a hormone that helps the body in regulating it's use of carbohydrates. Insulin is either absent or ineffective and so Diabetics may need additional insulin.
Q - Where is it produced?
A - Insulin is produced in the pancreas of humans and other mammals by a specialized group of cells called the islet cells. Diabetics who don't have sufficient insulin are given additional insulin as injections of inhalers.
Q - What is the function of insulin?
A - Insulin is responsible for the opening and closing of special gates that allow glucose to move into the cells of the body.
Q - How is insulin related to diabetes?
A - If there is no insulin in the blood, or if the insulin present isn't able to do its job effectively, the cells of the body won't be able to absorb the glucose they need for normal functioning from the blood.
Q - When is insulin needed for diabetes treatment?
A - All Type 1 diabetics require insulin for good blood sugar control.
In addition, some cases of Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes also require insulin in their diabetes treatment programme.
Q - What are the other sources of insulin?
A - There are 3 main sources of insulin used for diabetes treatment.
- Beef Insulin - Extracted from cows
- Pork Insulin - Extracted from pigs
- Human Insulin - Produced in laboratories by genetically modified cells using recombinant DNA technology.
Q - How is insulin given?
A -
- Insulin pens - These are special devices shaped like pens that you can program to give insulin. The insulin is packed in cartridges.
- Needles and Syringes - These are the regular hospital needle and syringes used to give insulin. The insulin is contained in vials and you have to manually measure and draw up the amount you want to give.
- Insulin jets - They are special devices that don't make use of needles. They use a high pressure spray to send insulin into the body.
- Infusion pumps - These are devices that allow continuous insulin delivery. It's good for better blood glucose control.
- Inhaler - This is a new development. Insulin is inhaled into the airways in the same way that asthmatics use their inhalers. Before you can use this, your doctor has to specify that you don't have respiratory problems.
Q - How frequently should insulin be taken?
A - Most people on insulin will need to take it between 2-4 times daily. Your doctor or diabetes care team will discuss your diabetes treatment plan with you. The frequency of administration depends on individual patient conditions, and the preparation of insulin given. The different preparations available include:
- Regular insulin which has a rapid onset of action but doesn't last long.
- Semi-lente and Lente insulin. They both have rapid onsets (but not as fast as regular insulin) and longer duration of action.
- Ultra-lente insulin. It's slow to start working but last for a long time once it starts.
Most people with diabetes use a combination of any of these preparations.
Q - What are the un-wanted effects of insulin?
A - Here are some of the common un-wanted effects of insulin.
- Hypoglycaemia - When your blood sugar goes so low. An over-dosage of insulin can cause this.
- Lipodystrophy - Hardening of the fat cells at your insulin injection site.
- Allergy - Some people react to insulin especially the beef insulin and pork insulin. Some countries no longer allow beef and pork insulins to be used in diabetes treatment. Only human insulin.
Ask your doctor if there are other un-wanted effects you should specially look out for.
Q - How can I get insulin for my diabetes treatment?
A - You need a prescription from a doctor. Once you get that, you can get it from any pharmacy or diabetes supply shop.
More Information
Links to more info on Diabetes Treatment using Insulin
More Diabetes Mellitus Q & A
Created - May, 2006
