Type 2 diabetes sufferers may benefit from insulin, which only needs to be injected once a week. What’s worth paying attention to?
Source: Colourbox.de
Injecting insulin every day is stressful for many diabetes patients. According to research, 25 to 50 percent of people with type 2 diabetes do not adhere to therapy consistently. Because of this, high discipline is needed to regulate blood sugar in daily life with daily insulin injections. In addition, many of those affected delay the start of necessary insulin therapy, says diabetes expert Andreas Pfeiffer.
For many sufferers, managing their blood sugar in everyday life with daily insulin injections is a big challenge because it requires a lot of discipline. Additionally, many people delay starting necessary insulin therapy, says diabetes expert Andreas Pfeiffer.
With insulin injections, many patients find their disease becomes worse.
Prof Dr Andreas FH Pfeiffer, Clinic for Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Charité – Medical University of Berlin
Anyone who does not strictly adhere to therapy risks secondary disease due to frequent low or high blood sugar levels, Pfeiffer continued. This can cause eye and nerve damage as well as kidney and cardiovascular disease. Studies show that patients who deviate from treatment instructions die ten years earlier.
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Type 1 diabetes sufferers cannot produce their own insulin. They often depend on daily insulin injections for the rest of their lives from childhood onwards.
In people with type 2 diabetes, the body often still produces its own insulin, but it is less effective or the amount is insufficient. Those affected can often initially survive without an external supply of insulin. If you change your lifestyle through diet and exercise and take tablets to improve blood sugar regulation, this disease can disappear again. At best, diabetics who have to inject insulin can do without insulin in the future.
New weekly insulin for better adherence to therapy
The new insulin preparation is intended to improve the situation of many diabetics. Only needs to be injected once a week. To do this, the active ingredient molecule is changed so that it binds to proteins in the blood. The bound insulin is then released again gradually. So it can lower blood sugar levels for a week. According to research, weekly insulin lowers blood sugar as much as insulin injected daily.
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Who benefits from weekly insulin
According to Pfeiffer, the new active ingredient is particularly attractive for people with type 2 diabetes who have problems adhering to therapy.
If you have long-acting insulin, don’t forget it as often as you do your daily injections.
Prof Dr Andreas FH Pfeiffer, specialist in internal medicine
According to Pfeiffer, weekly insulin is less suitable for type 2 diabetes sufferers who do intensive exercise, because physical activity lowers blood sugar levels. Insulin administration must then be adjusted, which is not possible with weekly administration.
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The need for adjustment is high in people with type 1 diabetes
Because type 1 diabetics do not produce their own insulin, they rely heavily on proper dosage. Their insulin needs can fluctuate greatly due to diet or physical activity. However, flexible adjustment of blood sugar levels is difficult with weekly insulin administration. Therefore, almost all people with type 1 diabetes require so-called bolus injections.
A bolus injection is an injection with a short-acting insulin preparation. They are given with food, for example, to compensate for short-term increases in blood sugar. In cases like this, we talk about intensive insulin therapy. Daily bolus injections are usually necessary for people with type 1 diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, they may also be needed in addition to the new weekly insulin.
These changes must be made carefully
It can be a challenge, especially in the beginning, to find the right weekly insulin dose to avoid overdosing or underdosing. Therefore, physicians and patients must individually consider the benefits and risks of switching to insulin therapy. Andreas Pfeiffer considers the benefit of weekly insulin to be small for patients who require bolus injections.
For patients who already inject insulin with every meal, this additional injection usually does not make much difference.
Prof Dr Andreas FH Pfeiffer, Charité – Medical University of Berlin
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The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has not certified any additional benefits of this new insulin. Even though it is given weekly, this drug is no better than preparations that are injected every day. However, statutory health insurance companies usually cover the costs.
The new weekly insulin may be of interest to type 2 diabetes sufferers who have problems with daily insulin injections. According to Pfeiffer, conventional insulin preparations are often a better choice for physically active people and people with type 1 diabetes.
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