One of the major daily challenges individuals with type 2 diabetes face is keeping their blood sugar under control. Even with taking insulin, keeping blood sugar within the target level can be very difficult for individuals with this condition. This is problematic, as poorly controlled blood sugar levels can expose type 2 diabetes sufferers to impactful complications.
Thus, an important thing to look at is how effective common treatment methods for type 2 diabetes are at controlling blood sugar levels. One treatment method that is very common for type 2 diabetes sufferers, and has long been the traditional treatment for this condition, are daily insulin injections. A newer treatment method that has been growing in use is the insulin pump, a device that uses an implanted catheter to deliver insulin into the user. A recent study compared these two treatment methods when it comes to blood sugar control.
The study had 331 subjects. The subjects’ ages ranged from 30 to 75. The subjects were all individuals who used the daily insulin injection treatment method and whose type 2 diabetes was poorly controlled. In the study, some of the subjects were switched over to using an insulin pump, while others were kept on daily injections.
The researchers in the study found that the individuals who were switched to the insulin pump experienced a more controlled blood sugar level and had a higher likelihood of their blood sugar level landing in the target range than those who were left on the daily injections.
These results indicate that insulin pumps may be superior to daily injections when it comes to blood sugar level control for type 2 diabetics. One wonders if further studies on this topic will reach similar conclusions and if insulin pumps will become more and more prevalent as a type 2 diabetes treatment method.
Among the things that poorly controlled type 2 diabetes can lead to is a person experiencing impairments that take them out of the workforce. One question a person may have when facing this consequence is: am I eligible for Social Security Disability benefits? Disability attorneys can give type 2 diabetes sufferers information on the process of applying for such benefits, can look into their situation to see if they are likely to qualify for benefits and can help them with completing and filing a benefits application.
Source: WebMD, “Insulin Pumps vs. Daily Injections for Type 2,” Robert Preidt, July 2, 2014