Some diabetics would risk health to avoid shots

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Some people with type 2
diabetes avoid insulin shots at the expense of their health,
the results of a new survey suggests.

Among nearly 1,000 Canadians with type 2 diabetes
researchers surveyed, many said that avoiding insulin shots was
just as important to them as improving their blood sugar
control. It was diabetics who were not yet on insulin, in
particular, who felt this way — a concerning finding, the
researchers say, since these individuals may consequently put
off needed insulin therapy.

The findings are published in the September issue of the
journal Diabetes Care

For the study, Dr. A. Brett Hauber, of the Research
Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina,
and his colleagues surveyed 936 adults with type 2 diabetes,
the majority of whom were not on insulin.

Type 2 diabetes arises when the body can no longer properly
use insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Though the
disease can be managed with diet, exercise and oral
medications, some people need insulin injections to keep their
blood sugar in check, which lowers the risk of complications
like heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.

Yet the survey found that on average, respondents not on
insulin said it would be just as important to them to limit
insulin injections to one per day as it would be to boost their
blood sugar control from “suboptimal” to “optimal.”

This is “disconcerting,” the researchers write, in light of
the importance of optimal blood sugar control to a diabetic’s
health.

On the other hand, those survey respondents already on
insulin placed much more value on getting their disease under
control than on trimming back their daily shots.

The findings, according to Hauber’s team, suggest that
better education may be necessary to encourage type 2 diabetics
to start insulin therapy when it’s warranted.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2005.