Human insulin: much ado about hypoglycaemia (un)awareness

Abstract

The biological effects, hypoglycaemic symptoms, endocrine counterregulatory responses and glucose recovery following the injection of purified porcine and human insulin preparations were compared in a number of controlled clinical investigations and prospective clinical trials. In these studies involving healthy volunteers, Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion or intensified conventional insulin therapy and insulin treated Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients, no differences with regard to biological effects, counterregulatory responses, hypoglycaemic awareness or the long-term incidence of severe hypoglycaemia between porcine and human insulin preparations were identified. These data fail to confirm any specific risk of severe hypoglycaemia attributable to the use of human insulin preparations in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus.