Insulin and Diabetes: Why Insulin is Necessary

Nearly all diabetics will have to use insulin to control their diabetes at some point in their life. A lucky few who catch the disease in its extremely early stages and follow a regimen of diet and exercise may be able to stave off the effects of the disease‚ but for most people with diabetes‚ insulin will become a part of their lives. Insulin provides the body a means to use glucose for fuel and helps keep glucose levels normal. High glucose levels can damage eyesight‚ nerves‚ kidneys and blood vessels and low glucose levels can lead to irregular heartbeats‚ cold sweats‚ coma and even death.

Type 1 diabetes is the less common of the two types of diabetes. It can develop at any age‚ but is more common in children and adolescents. With Type 1 diabetes‚ the body does not produce insulin. It is suspected that the body’s own immune system kills off the cells responsible for producing insulin. Type 1 diabetes can occur in older people through destruction of the pancreas due to alcohol consumption or anything else which can lead to destruction of the pancreas or its removal.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to use the insulin that the pancreas produces and is sometimes called insulin resistant diabetes. The pancreas is forced to produce larger and larger amounts insulin‚ eventually leading to the pancreas not being able to produce insulin at all. Insulin injections are required to supply the body with what it can no longer manufacture for itself. This type of diabetes is by far the more common of the two. Since there are no symptoms until the body stops making insulin‚ many people don’t even know they have the disease.

Insulin comes in vials available by prescription from your pharmacy and a small syringe is used to inject the fluid‚ usually into the upper arm. Some new syringes are available that come with insulin already in the syringe. This type of syringe is clear and has measurements on the side to denote dosage amounts. Many diabetics find this method more convenient than traditional methods since the syringe fits neatly into a pocket or purse and can be carried easily wherever you go. Researchers are currently working to improve a method of delivering insulin orally‚ which would completely eliminate the need for painful injections except in the most extreme emergencies. Insulin pills are available‚ but their effectiveness is not truly comparable to the injection method‚ requiring larger doses and inducing nausea.

One recently approved method of insulin delivery is through an inhaler. Much like an asthma inhaler‚ insulin is delivered directly to the lungs and is spread through the body like oxygen. One potential problem has already been identified with insulin inhalers‚ though‚ which could prove a significant hurdle for this method. A small decline in oxygen transport through the lungs could prove to be a serious problem‚ if the symptom increases with more use of the inhaler.

Insulin‚ in whatever form it’s taken‚ is essential to a diabetic’s continued health. Without regular doses‚ glucose levels would rise high enough to damage the body‚ or drop significantly enough to cause coma and death.

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