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50% of diabetics do not adhere to insulin treatment practices

A lot of people with diabetes have a psychological resistance to taking insulin injections which is critical in managing the disease.

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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : May 21, 2014 12:58 PM IST

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InsulinMore than 80 percent of people have psychological resistance to taking insulin injections which remains a critical component of treatment of diabetes, medical experts said. 'Insulin remains a critical component of treatment of diabetes. At present injection remains the only practical means to deliver insulin,' S.V. Madhu, secretary, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) said.

Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. 'More than 80 percent of people have psychological resistance to even initiate an insulin therapy, despite it being indispensable for glycaemic control to manage the disease,' Madhu said. (Read: Oral insulin pills for diabetics it could soon be a reality!)

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

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Rajeev Chawla, joint secretary, RSSDI and a senior consultant diabetologist and director, North Delhi Diabetes Centre, said: 'As per latest survey, more than 50 percent of diabetic patients in the city do not adhere to appropriate insulin treatment practices, and 48 percent do not know about right injection techniques'.

'As insulin treatment is vital for blood glucose control, inappropriate injection skills compromise the dosage accuracy and its effectiveness. Moreover, it may also lead to pain with bleeding and a risk of contamination,' he said. (Read: How often should diabetics use a glucometer to monitor blood glucose levels?)

Insulin is the backbone of treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. Insulin is also important in type 2 diabetes when blood glucose levels cannot be controlled by diet, weight loss, exercise and oral medicines. The different types of insulin are:

  1. Rapid-acting insulin starts working in about 15 minutes and lasts for 3 to 5 hours. There are 3 types of rapid-acting insulin: Insulin lispro, Insulin aspart and Insulin glulisine
  2. Short-acting insulin (regular insulin) starts working in 30 to 60 minutes and lasts 5 to 8 hours.
  3. Intermediate-acting insulin (insulin NPH) starts working in 1 to 3 hours and lasts 12 to 16 hours.
  4. Long-acting insulin (insulin glargine and insulin detemir) starts working in about 1 hour and lasts 20 to 26 hours.
  5. Premixed insulin- combination of 2 types of insulin (usually a rapid-acting or short-acting insulin and an intermediate-acting insulin).

The various methods for administering insulin are:

  • Pre-filled Insulin Pens this is similar to an ink cartridge in a fountain pen. An insulin cartridge is held by a small pen-sized device. The amount of insulin to be injected is dispensed by turning the bottom of the pen until the required number of units is seen in the dose-viewing window. The tip of the pen consists of a needle that is disposed of with each injection.
  • Insulin pump this is the most recently available advance in insulin delivery. It is composed of a pump reservoir similar to that of an insulin cartridge, a battery-operated pump and a computer chip that allows the user to control the exact amount of insulin being delivered. The pump is used for continuous insulin delivery. The amount of insulin is programmed and is administered at a constant rate.
  • Inhalers inhaled form of insulin is not much in use these days. The insulin is packaged in dry packs which are inserted into an inhalation device. This device allows the insulin to enter a chamber that has a mouth piece. Through this mouth piece the user can inhale the insulin. (Read: Treatments for diabetes: Oral medications, insulin and other methods)

With inputs from IANS

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