Prescribing insulin in type 1 diabetes mellitus: an update for general practitioners

The pancreas in a non-diabetic patient constantly secretes a small amount of insulin (basal secretion). After meals; a larger amount of insulin is secreted (bolus secretion) to cope with the increased blood glucose that occurs following a meal. The goal of insulin therapy in diabetics is to mimic this secretion pattern to provide enough insulin throughout a 24-hour period to meet the basal requirements and to deliver higher boluses of insulin to meet the glycaemic effect of meals. To achieve good diabetes control; an individually tailored insulin treatment regimen is required