Insulin use in the treatment of hyperkalaemia
Apart from lowering blood glucose, insulin can also be used in hospital as an emergency treatment for hyperkalaemia, a high risk situation in which the blood potassium level is dangerously …
Course: Understanding Insulin
Seema: living with diabetes
For a number of years, Seema treated her diabetes by reducing unhealthy dietary choices and trying to increase her physical activity, which could both help to improve blood glucose handling …
Carlos: living with diabetes
In week 2, we considered the treatment regimen choices that Carlos was offered of either injecting a mixed insulin twice daily or using two different insulins each day. Carlos decided …
Insulin use in the treatment of hyperglycaemia
Diabetes is a disease characterised by high blood glucose also known as hyperglycaemia. As you’ve already discovered, this is due to a problem with insulin production or action and if …
When replacement insulin is the only option
In people with type 2 diabetes who have insulin resistance (lack of response to insulin), a range of different lifestyle changes and medications are used to improve insulin sensitivity. These …
How does insulin change in type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes occurs predominately in adults and is typically associated with obesity and inactivity. Insulin resistance Initially, the body is insulin resistant – this means that even though the …
How does insulin change in type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition – this means that the body attacks itself instead of attacking infections and other invading objects. The body’s immune system destroys the β …
How does insulin control key pathways?
Insulin is a powerful hormone released to reduce blood glucose concentrations. It acts to promote the storage of glucose, proteins and fats and it has actions on the liver, muscle …
Carlos: insulin treatment options
Carlos is now 25. As Carlos transitioned from the young person’s clinic to the adult diabetes clinic, he was offered a choice of how he wished to use insulin as …
Other classes of insulin
More recently, two new ways of classifying insulin have emerged: Concentrated insulins – preparations in which there is a smaller volume of liquid to inject with a higher concentration of …
How are the insulins commonly classified?
Nowadays, the insulins available for use are generally classified based on their predicted onset and duration of action, as outlined below. The common classifications are: Rapid-acting analogue Short-acting or neutral …
Why are there so many types of insulin available for use?
Insulin was first discovered in 1921 during studies conducted on dogs by Frederick Banting and Charles Best. This resulted in the purification of insulin from bovine (cow) pancreases and commercial …
Other key hormones in control of blood glucose balance
Insulin does not act in isolation. There are a number of other hormones that complement the actions of insulin, but also a group that oppose the actions of insulin. Finding …
How does insulin act?
What is insulin? Insulin is a powerful hormone that acts to reduce blood glucose concentrations. It is released from the pancreatic β cells (Islets of Langerhans) during and after eating, …
How the body produces glucose when we are fasting
Glucose is our main source of energy and it is therefore important that there are physiological pathways in place to prevent blood glucose from dropping dangerously low when we are …