Diabetes: Key Facts To Know About Insulin If You Are Living With Diabetes

Diabetes is a rapidly growing global public health concern, with patient numbers quadrupling over the past three decades. In India alone, a huge number of people live with diabetes out of which many understand the importance of insulin therapy and depend on it. Diabetes is one of the most common contributors for increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, kidney diseases and more. It is therefore of utmost importance to create awareness about Diabetes and debunk myths around insulin therapy.

Here are some of the key facts that a person living with diabetes should be aware of:

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1. Insulin treatment is not painful:

There are assumptions and scare around injectable insulins that they cause tremendous pain. However, most people are surprised by how little an insulin injection hurts. Moreover, with newer advancements, insulin can be administered using insulin pens and insulin pumps through subcutaneous route. Insulin pens are easy to carry and simpler to administer. The short and thin needle makes the process of therapy relatively painless.

2. Insulin deficiency causes diabetes:

The common misconception with diabetes is that it is a 'sugar' problem, which is incorrect. Diabetes is an insulin problem. When there is too much glucose in the bloodstream, insulin signals the body to store the excess in the liver. The stored glucose isn't released until blood glucose levels decrease, such as between meals or when your body is stressed or needs an extra boost of energy. Insulin helps to reduce microvascular complications that affect many organs, notably kidneys, eyes, and nerves and macrovascular complications like heart attack, stroke & peripheral vascular diseases & also death.

4. Insulin is NOT the last resort:

One of the most common myths among diabetes patients is that insulin is the last resort in treatment of the disease. People think that once they start insulin, there is no place of being independent, travel or live alone. None of these is true. In fact, people who have adopted insulin, have seen their lives change for better. Insulin is a safe and efficacious way to lower blood glucose levels and manage diabetes in a more efficient way.

Insulin therapy is important for keeping blood sugar level within the target range. It may also help prevent associated complications by regulating. Insulin treatment has evolved significantly over the decades, and with each advancement, we are getting closer to achieving a natural insulin response. Most importantly, these advancements have helped people living with diabetes overcome some of the inconveniences that come with treating and living with diabetes. Over the last 100 years since its discovery, Insulin has brought a paradigm shift in diabetes treatment leading to better outcomes and improved quality of life for people with diabetes.

(Dr Manoj Chadha is a consultant endocrinologist at P D Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre in Mumbai and founder, Hope & Care)

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