Insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Unlike type 1 diabetic patients, who have no significant insulin secretion and require insulin therapy from the disease onset, a prominent feature in the early stages of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia. Therefore, improving insulin sensitivity by diet, exercise, and weight management will benefit type 2 diabetic patients. When these measures fail, glycemic goals may be achieved with oral agents. However, at the late stage of disease,most patients require exogenous insulin therapy to achieve optimal glucose control. The American Diabetes Association recommends that the objective of normalizing glycemia and glycosylated hemoglobin concentrations for patients with type 2 diabetes should be similar to that for type 1 diabetes.