Dan Med Bull
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One major problem encountered when treating diabetic patients with insulin is the very large inter- and intra-individual variability in subcutaneous insulin absorption, a major contributory factor in the variability of the blood glucose level. Thus, to optimize insulin treatment the factors influencing the absorption have to be known and possibly utilized. The different types of insulin ("short-acting", "intermediate-acting" and "long-acting") have different times of action. "Short-acting" and "intermediate-acting" human insulin are probably absorbed slightly faster than porcine (and bovine) insulin. "Long-acting" human insulin is absorbed significantly faster than bovine insulin. ⋯ Some factors which influence the diffusion conditions include exercise, local massage and, especially, local subcutaneous blood flow. Alterations in the blood flow induce, with a hyperbolic relationship, changes in the same direction in the absorption rate of injected and infused "short-acting" insulin and of injected "intermediate-acting" insulin. Several factors have been shown to influence both subcutaneous blood flow and insulin absorption, e.g. injection site, skinfold thickness, smoking, orthostatic changes, ketosis and ambient temperature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)