Insulin therapy

Paar beim Essen1922 was a very important year for people with diabetes. Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old from Canada, was the first person to receive an insulin injection. The insulin was extracted from cattle and it saved his life. Since then, insulin therapy has become a science of its own, with a lot of important developments.

There were times when people with diabetes had to lead strictly regulated lives. Nowadays living with diabetes has become less complicated, thanks to more flexible insulin therapy options. People can, to a great extent, decide themselves what kind of treatment they would like and how to fit it into their daily lives. Managing diabetes still involves quite a lot of effort and care, which is not always easy. But it no longer rules all aspects of life, and many people with diabetes do not consider themselves to be ill.

In this article you will learn about what treatment options are currently available and what experiences people have had with them. We will continue to regularly update our information about diabetes on informedhealthonline.org.


Author: German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)

Table of contents

  1. Insulin and diabetes
    1. Living with insulin and diabetes
    2. What is diabetes?
    3. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
    4. Diet, glucose and metabolism
  2. Insulin and prevention of damage caused by diabetes
    1. What insulin does
    2. High blood sugar and its consequences
    3. Avoiding low blood sugar
  3. Forms of insulin therapy
    1. Insulin therapy approaches
    2. Different lengths of effect
    3. Type 2 diabetes and insulin
    4. Intensive insulin therapy
    5. Time interval between injecting and eating
  4. Types of insulin
    1. Animal insulin, human insulin and insulin analogues
    2. Animal insulin vs. human insulin
    3. Human insulin vs. insulin analogues
  5. Different ways of taking insulin
    1. Conventional and newer options
    2. Syringes and insulin pens
    3. Insulin pumps
    4. Inhaled insulin
  6. Sources

Article Navigation

  • Last update: September 12th 2011 11:13
  • Created (German version): May 29th 2007 17:23
  • History: Show list

Evaluated by

„Relevant, objective and independent“

Link to the Glossary

Do you want automatic links to the medical dictionary?

Subscribe topic

The topic of this article subscribe