Key points summary

This week …

• You have learnt in detail about the key physiological processes involved in regulating blood glucose concentrations in healthy individuals, and how lack of insulin or insulin resistance changes how glucose homeostasis operates in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Use of replacement insulin (step 2.5) in type 1 diabetes and in some people with type 2 diabetes allows restoration of these physiological processes, controlling blood glucose concentrations and reducing the risk of long term complications.

• You have learnt that Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) can cause a diabetic emergency in patients with type 1 diabetes by looking at what happened when Carlos’ insulin levels ran low (step 2.6 & step 2.7).

• You have learnt that there are many different types of insulin available for use in medicine (step 2.8).

They are classified broadly by their duration of action (step 2.9), with newer classes coming onto the market more recently (step 2.10).

Great care must be taken in ensuring that the right insulin is selected for the right patient.

• In addition, there are situations in the management of diabetes where a patient may require two different insulins and you reviewed the insulin treatment options that a patient with type 1 diabetes like Carlos could make (step 2.12).