Diabetic drugs Flashcards
What stimulates the release of insulin?
- Secreted by B cells in response to:
1. Increase in glucose
2. Incretins
3. Parasympathetic activity
What is the half life of insulin?
- ~5 minutes in plasma
What inhibits the release of insulin?
- Decreased glucose concentration
- Cortisol
- Sympathetic activity
What is the role of insulin?
- Decreases hepatic glucose output via inhibition of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis
- Increases glycogen stores
- Promote uptake of glucose into tissues - muscle and adipose especially
How is insulin in the body regulated?
- Secreted into blood even during fasting - prevents receptor downregulation
- Rate and extent of glucose concentration change leads to biphasic pattern of insulin release
What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes mellitus?
- Typically present in children and young adults
- Polyuria
- Polydipsia
- Weight loss
- Fatigue/lethargy
- Generalised weakness
- Blurred vision
How is type 1 diabetes diagnosed?
- Hyperglycaemia
- Fasting glucose >6.9 mmol/L
- Or random plasma glucose >11 mmol/L
- Plasma or urine ketones in presence of hyperglycaemia
- HbA1c >48 mmol/mol (>6.5%)
- Single raised plasma glucose without symptoms not sufficient for diagnosis
Compare plasma glucose with HbA1c
- Glucose - immediate measure of glucose levels in blood mmol/L
- HbA1c - measures percentage of red blood cells with a sugar coating (glycated haemoglobin)
- HbA1c reflects average blood sugar over last 10-12 weeks
What is the biochemical triad of diabetic ketoacidosis?
- Hyperglycaemia
- Ketonaemia
- Acidosis
- Predominantly in type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Particularly common in children on diagnosis
When do we suspect diabetic ketoacidosis?
- Blood glucose >11 mmol/L
- Polydipsia
- Polyuria
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Lethargy
- Confusion
- Visual disturbance
- Acetonic breath
- Symptoms of shock
What do we test for when we suspect diabetic ketoacidosis?
- Ketones
- Urine or blood
- Venous pH <7.3
- Or HCO3- <15 mmol/L
What are the precipitating factors for diabetic ketoacidosis?
- Infection
- Trauma
- Non adherence to insulin treatment
- DDIs
How must insulin treatment be given?
- Parenterally to avoid digestion in the gut
- Because insulin is a protein
How is insulin formulated?
- In 100 units/mL
- 300 and 500 units/mL available to reduce volume
- Be careful when measuring dose
- Ensure you’re using correct vial so that you don’t prescribe an overdose
What is the routine delivery of insulin?
- Subcutaneous injection
- Upper arms, thighs, buttocks, abdomen
- I.V.I used for emergency treatment
- Rotate site of administration to limit lipodystrophy
How do we slow insulin absorption?
- Protamine and/or zinc complexes added to natural insulins (used less now)
- Causes soluble insulin to form hexamers - delays absorption from site of injection
- [plasma] is greatest after 2-3hours
- Dosing 15-30 minutes prior to meals
- Insulin analogues also used - a few amino acid changes
Which insulin types are fast acting?
- Insulin aspart - rapid acting
- Soluble insulin (Humulin S, Actrapid) - short acting
Which insulin types are longer acting?
- Isophane insulin (NPH) - intermediate
- Insulin glargine - long
What things do we need to consider when prescribing insulin?
- Combinations often prescribed - by brand name
- Short and long-acting mixtures
- May take them separately
- Basal-bolus dosing is common
- Other dosing regimens can be used - patient centred
- Syringes, pens, pumps, inhalers
What are the adverse side effects of insulin treatment?
- Hypoglycaemia
- Lipodystrophy
- Lipohypertrophy or lipoatrophy
What are the contraindications for insulin treatment?
- Renal impairment
- Hypoglycaemia risk
What are the DDIs for insulin treatment?
- Dose needs increasing with systemic steroids
- Caution with other hypoglycaemic agents
What is basal-bolus dosing?
- Given rapid acting insulin - bolus e.g. aspart
- Patient generally takes this before a meal
- Given long acting insulin - basal e.g. glargine
- Commonly used for young active T1DM patients
- Allows flexibility if adherence is good
What is diabulimia?
- When a type 1 diabetic stops or reduces their insulin to control their weight
Give an overview of type 2 diabetes mellitus?
- Slow progression of disease over many years
- Many people are asymptomatic early on
- Vast majority of T2DM patients are overweight or obese
- Age profile of T2DM has decreased
- Insulin into cells reduced due to cellular resistance associated with obesity