Diabetes Insulin
Diabetes is a disease very commonly seen throughout the population, and there are two variations of it: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 (which is not seen so often; only about ten percent of diabetes cases are diagnosed as Type 1) is the situation in which the immune system assaults the cells that produce insulin—as a result, not enough insulin is produced. Type 2 is when cells in the body do not react as they should to insulin (the term for this is insulin resistance). In order to treat diabetes, many people are given isolated insulin, which manages to break through the biological restrictions and can assist the patient.
The hormone insulin maintains the cells in the human body, specifically monitoring levels of glucose in the blood stream. Insulin is extremely important to the body, since glucose (or sugar) is crucial. Glucose is most commonly seen in wheat or sweet products. A person who suffers from either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes will have trouble accepting the glucose; since the glucose now has nowhere to go, it will remain in the blood stream and blood glucose levels will elevate.
When people with Type 1 diabetes go in for treatment, they are typically given at least one injection of insulin daily. The amount of insulin given is not constant; it will change according to the specifications of each patient (height, weight, and so on).
But what could happen when there is an overdose of insulin? Firstly, the blood sugar concentration will lower drastically, and from there the patient could enter a coma that may lead to death. Any overdoses are treated by providing the patient with the purest, most raw form of sugar available. Similarly, if insulin levels drop too low, a coma could again be the result. It is important to note that, just by looking at the coma, it is difficult to tell whether an overdose or under dose was the cause—only a blood glucose test could truly tell.
For diabetes, insulin is made of bacteria that has been genetically modified in order to simulate human insulin; this way, the body will accept it with no problems. It works in a manner similar to the way that certain substances will imitate neurotransmitters upon entry into the body (this is how most addictive drugs work, though the side effects are less severe for insulin).
Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are severe, and because they could both result in death they should be treated with the utmost caution. Like many substances within the human bodies, the levels need to be regulated within two certain points of each other—and when these levels change drastically, there could be deadly consequences. Diabetes is a disease that plagues many people, so it is crucial to understand how the medicine behind it works. Artificial, diabetic insulin is a tribute to the advancement of science and medicine, and a savior of countless lives across the world.