Diabetes Treatment Review

Insulin analogs

Emily Chu, Nicole Meinel and Martin Gilmour of the Diabetic Hypoglycemia Editorial Team

Diabetic Hypoglycemia June 2012, Volume 5, Issue 1: page 21-25

Abstract

The fear of hypoglycemia that people with diabetes experience is a factor in non-adherence to insulin therapy, which can adversely affect glycemic control and increase the risk of diabetes-associated complications. Insulin analogs are modified forms of human insulin designed to mimic endogenous insulin secretion, and may therefore help to reduce the risk and severity of hypoglycemia. While much evidence exists to demonstrate the efficacy of insulin analogs in blood glucose control, the effects on the incidence of severe hypoglycemia are less clear. This treatment review presents recent studies investigating the effects of insulin analogs on the frequency of hypoglycemia.

Key words: hypoglycemia, insulin analog, degludec, glargine