Diabetes is a disease that kills annually a huge number of people around the world. In 2012, this number was 1.5 million. According to doctors, if this continues further, then by 2030 this disease will kill more lives than any other pathology.
This article provides information about what this disease is, as well as how to calculate insulin. Carefully read the information provided in order to protect yourself and arm.
What is diabetes
Diabetes is a very dangerous and common disease of the hormonal system, which is accompanied by a significant increase in blood sugar. This phenomenon leads to the fact that the body completely stops producing insulin. As you know, this hormone is produced by the pancreas, and its main purpose is to lower sugar levels. After all, it is no secret that glucose is the main building material for the body and the most important source of energy.
So, if the pancreas can no longer properly process glucose, proteins and fats are used, which leads to malfunctions of the whole body. Before calculating insulin, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the causes of the development of the disease itself, as well as its varieties.
Types of diabetes and its causes
There are two types of diabetes: first and second. In the presence of the first form of the disease, the pancreas ceases to function properly, and this indicates that insulin ceases to be produced at all. Such a disease is very rarely inherited and most often occurs in those people whom the mother did not feed breast milk in her childhood, replacing it with various mixtures. Quite often, such a pathology develops after transferred viral diseases, as well as with hypothermia of the body.
But type 2 diabetes develops when the body simply stops responding to insulin. Quite often, this pathology occurs in the presence of obesity, as well as in violation of the pancreas. It is the wrong diet that can provoke its development. Although no less often the disease is inherited. Most often, this type of diabetes occurs in people over the age of forty. But the younger generation is also subject to it, malnutrition and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Importance of Insulin Administration
It is simply necessary for patients with diabetes to receive this hormone from the outside in order to at least somehow adjust the activity of their body.
The calculation of insulin is a very important stage in the treatment. It is very important to choose a dosage that can help simulate the release of natural hormone. Each patient must learn how to calculate insulin in order to feel good in everyday life.
What are the types of insulin by its exposure time?
Today, modern medicine has been able to develop drugs that are safer for human health and have much fewer side effects. As you know, earlier drugs were of animal origin. Now insulin (you can read about dose calculation and administration in this article) is of human or synthetic origin. The medicine has undergone multilevel purification, and its use usually brings previously predicted results.
There is simply a huge amount of drugs with different exposure times. So, the molecule of human insulin usually has a rather short effect on the body. It can affect the body for no more than six hours. However, there are drugs with ultrashort exposure that can bring glucose back to normal very quickly. At the same time, they work for a relatively short time - about two to three hours.
Calculation of the dose and administration of insulin also depends on the type of drug. There are drugs that have an average exposure period. They can work for twelve to eighteen hours after administration. In this case, the maximum peak of their effect on the body is observed after about six to eight hours. Such preparations also contain an additional component - the protein protamine, which can increase the time of exposure to insulin.
There are also drugs that have a very long period of exposure - about two days. Such medicines do not have the peak activity and work smoothly.
Calculation of insulin in diabetes
If the pancreas is functioning normally, then it secretes the hormone insulin both during wakefulness and during sleep. This type of insulin is called basal. Thanks to it, you can maintain the level of glucose in the blood on an empty stomach, as well as during night sleep. So, it is very important to create an imitation of basal insulin. It is for this that you need to know the technique for calculating insulin.
If the patient suffers from a disease of the first type, then such an amount of hormone is not enough for him, since the pancreas has stopped producing insulin at all. In this case, you need to enter the medicine at least three times a day, doing this every time before eating. In this case, it is desirable to use drugs that have a short-term effect.
But with diabetes of the second type, it will be sufficient to introduce one or two injections of prolonged exposure. After all, the body is still able to produce a certain amount of the hormone.
Calculation and administration of insulin, namely long-term exposure, must be calculated first of all, since first you need to satisfy the basic needs of the body. And only after that it is already possible to determine the desired dosage of a short-term drug.
Dose calculation and subcutaneous insulin administration: algorithm
In order to calculate the correct dosage of the drug, it is very important to consider just a huge number of different parameters. You cannot ignore even one of them. Only in this case, the patient will feel good and will be able to continue normal life activities.
So, what is the algorithm for calculating the dose and subcutaneous administration?
- The first thing you need to do is get on the scales and determine the weight.
- Then multiply the weight by a factor of 0.3 or 0.5 (depending on the type of disease). The first number is suitable for type 2 diabetes, and the second for a disease of the first type.
- The algorithm for calculating the dose of insulin should also be carried out depending on how long the patient has this disease. As already mentioned, in the presence of type 2 diabetes, a coefficient of 0.5 should be used. If a person has been sick for more than ten years, then this number will have to be increased to 0.7.
- Now you need to calculate thirty percent of this number, and divide it into two uses of the medicine (morning and evening administration).
- Then you need to check the dose received. This is usually done within three days. The algorithm for calculating and administering insulin involves a special check. On the first day, refuse breakfast, on the second - do not have lunch, and on the third - exclude dinner. If the level of insulin does not change much when skipping meals, it means that the calculations were carried out correctly.
- If the patient suffers from hypoglycemia, then the dosage will have to be slightly adjusted. However, this must be done in conjunction with the doctor.
How to determine the effect of a medicine
The calculation of the dose and subcutaneous administration of insulin can be considered correct in such cases:
- To maintain his normal state in the morning on an empty stomach, the patient needs to take no more than two injections of prolonged exposure per day.
- Also, against the background of treatment, the patient completely lacks nocturnal hypoglycemia. Check this condition is best around three in the morning. Then the data will be as accurate as possible.
- Before each meal, the sugar level in the body is within normal limits.
- The dosage of a long-acting drug cannot exceed the dosage of a short-acting medicine.
The need for short insulin: how to determine
Calculation of the dose and subcutaneous administration of insulin is the most important component of treatment.
For the treatment of type 1 diabetes, the patient can not do without drugs that have a short effect. For this, there is a special concept - the bread unit (XE). One such unit is equal to twelve grams of carbohydrates. If we look at some products, then a bread unit can be compared with one slice of bread, with half a serving of spaghetti or with half a bun. So, in order to find out how much XE is in a particular product, you will need to use scales, as well as a special table that allows you to determine the number of bread units per hundred grams of a product. Of course, you don’t have to carry the scales with you all the time. Soon you will be able to determine the amount of food you need by eye.
Algorithm for calculating a hormone with a short-term effect
It is very important to consider the algorithm for calculating the dose and subcutaneous administration of insulin, which has a short-term effect. How to do it right?
- Weigh the food you cook and determine how many bread units are in it.
- Then determine what the average number of bread units is necessary for a person at a certain time of day. So, for breakfast you need to take from one and a half to two and a half XE, for lunch - from one to 1.2 XE, and for dinner - 1.1-1.3 XE. Using this data, enter the required amount of medication.
- If you use a drug of very short duration, then you need to enter it immediately before eating or right during it. A short-acting medicine is recommended to be administered in ten to fifteen minutes.
The Importance of Keeping a Diary
At first, the calculation of insulin in diabetes is very difficult to produce. The patient simply does not know how to behave, so he simply makes a lot of mistakes.
In order to facilitate all calculations, doctors strongly recommend keeping a nutrition diary in which you need to indicate information such as the number of bread units you have taken for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the type of insulin used, and the presence and absence of hypoglycemia.
To begin with, doctors recommend eating the same type of food. You need to do this in order to get used to a new lifestyle. Over time, new foods can be added to the diet.
Mode definition
The algorithm for calculating the dose and administration of insulin implies compliance with a special regime. Doctors highlight the traditional administration of the drug, as well as intensive.
In the first case, the patient uses only the dosage that was prescribed for him by the attending physician, and observes it under any circumstances.
In the second case, the patient independently controls the amount of insulin he needs. Of course, first of all, you need to choose a mode based on your health, as well as on the severity of the pathology.
The rules of drug administration
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, do not treat it like a disease. Humble yourself and accept it as a new way of life. Since in the presence of such a pathology you will need constant administration of insulin, you will have to learn how to inject yourself.
Note: all insulin-containing drugs are intended for subcutaneous administration. In no case should they be injected into the veins or into the muscles.
So, before you make an injection, it is very important to choose the most optimal place for it. In no case do not inject the medicine into moles, as well as hardened areas of the skin. If you inject the drug into your stomach, back off your belly button by at least five centimeters. And two centimeters from the mole.
Now determine the place of introduction. Of course, it is best to inject the medicine into the stomach, because in this case, the substance will be able to spread most quickly throughout the body. But shoulders, buttocks or hips are also ideal. It is best to alternate the injection sites each time and make injections while standing.
Now it is very important to understand how to correctly insert the needle. To get started, treat the skin with ethanol and wait until it is completely dry. Now pinch yourself, forming a fold of skin. Insert the needle into this place at a slight angle. If you accidentally pierced a blood vessel, it is best to give an injection in another place.
Now that you have inserted the needle, begin to slowly administer the medicine. If this causes you pain, try to push the needle a little deeper. After administering the medicine, wait another five minutes, and then remove the needle with a sharp movement.
The occurrence of hyperglycemia
In some cases, patients with diabetes mellitus experience hyperglycemia. This condition can bring a lot of trouble, so it is very important to exclude it. Check that you are calculating and administering insulin subcutaneously. You may be injecting incorrectly.
Also determine whether you are administering a sustained-release medicine in the correct dosage. If the drug is able to act only twelve hours, use it twice a day. If it works all day, then give an injection only once a day.
When you inject medicine under the skin, try to quickly insert the needle and slowly inject the medicine (count up to ten at this time). After that, it is just as quick to remove the needle.
conclusions
Diabetes is an incurable disease, but do not panic when it occurs. Leading the right lifestyle, as well as taking medicines on time, you can live for more than a dozen years. The main thing is not to despair and keep yourself in control.
By regularly injecting insulin, you can lead a normal life. But at the same time you still have to change your eating habits. According to doctors, it is very important for people suffering from diabetes to exercise and not be isolated from society.
Watch your health from youth. Eat right, lead a mobile lifestyle, and also correctly alternate the mode of work and rest. Take care of yourself, and then your body will begin to actively take care of you.