Mainstream Diabetes Therapy
Diabetes Therapy
The main goal of diabetes management is to restore carbohydrate metabolism to as close to a normal state as possible. To achieve this goal, individuals with an absolute deficiency of insulin require insulin replacement therapy, which is given through injections or an insulin pump. Insulin resistance, in contrast, can be corrected by dietary modifications and exercise. Other goals of diabetes management are to prevent or treat the many complications that can result from the disease itself and from its treatment. The primary issue requiring management is that of the glucose cycle. In this, glucose in the bloodstream is made available to cells in the body; a process dependent upon the twin cycles of glucose entering the bloodstream, and insulin allowing appropriate uptake into the body cells. Modern approaches to diabetes primarily rely upon dietary and lifestyle management, often combined with regular ongoing blood glucose level monitoring. Diet management allows control and awareness of the types of nutrients entering the digestive system, allowing significant control over changes in blood glucose levels. Blood glucose monitoring verifies blood glucose levels, and closer control is especially important since some symptoms of diabetes are not easy to notice without actually measuring blood glucose levels. After the diagnosis of diabetes, the importance of protecting the body from damage caused by hyperglycemia needs to be emphasized. Successful treatment makes all the difference to long-term health and achieving balanced diabetes treatment can be the key to living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A person with diabetes has to have his/her blood glucose levels checked periodically. There is a blood test called the A1C which tells you what your average blood glucose levels were over a two to three month period. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin to control diabetes and this can only be done through multiple injections or by an insulin pump, a small device that delivers insulin continuously throughout the day. Type 2 patients need to eat healthily, be physically active, and test their blood glucose. They may also need to take oral medication, and/or insulin to control blood glucose levels. The quantity of insulin intake must be closely linked to how much food you consume, as well as when you eat. Your daily activities will also have a bearing on when and how much insulin you take. Types of insulin • Rapid-acting analogues can be injected just before, with or after food and have a peak action at between 0 and three hours. They tend to last between two and five hours and only last long enough for the meal at which they are taken. • Long-acting analogues tend to be injected once a day to provide background insulin lasting approximately 24 hours. They don't need to be taken with food because they don't have a peak action. • Short-acting insulins should be injected 15–30 minutes before a meal to cover the rise in blood glucose levels that occurs after eating. They have a peak action of two–six hours and can last for up to eight hours. • Medium- and long-acting insulin are varieties that are taken once or twice a day to provide background insulin or in combination with short-acting insulins or rapid-acting analogues. Their peak activity is between four and 12 hours and can last up to 30 hours. • Mixed insulin – a combination of medium- and short-acting insulin. • Mixed analogue – a combination of medium-acting insulin and rapid-acting analogue.
About the Author
Insulin is used in the treatment of patients with diabetes of all types. The need for insulin depends upon the balance between insulin secretion and insulin resistance. All patients with type 1 diabetes need insulin treatment permanently, unless they receive an islet or receive a pancreas transplant. Many patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin as their beta cell function declines over time.
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