Diabetic Glossary.

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Analogs.
These are modified natural insulin, changes having been made in the amino acid sequence of the insulin molecule that change the rate at which it is absorbed.
Humalog is the brand name of the common one.

Basal insulin.
Non-diabetics always have a small amount of insulin in their blood which stops their blood glucose from going up between meals or during the night.

Diabetics have tried to copy this by giving themselves injections of long acting insulin which hopefully will last for the 24 hour period - this is termed basal insulin and is the background insulin that is unconnected with the food we eat.

Unfortunately it is very difficult to get just the right amount of basal insulin via injection. The absorption of these long acting insulins can be unpredictable so you get peaks and falls at inconvenient times. Peaks in the middle of the night for example can lead to hypos and if the insulin runs out before the next injection is due your BG can soar.

In small children it can be a real problem as the insulin can sometimes last for longer than the 24 hour period and unless you are aware of this giving them their next injection may result in their having too much insulin.

Bolus insulin.
This is the extra fast acting insulin given to counteract the food you eat. It is given just before each meal.

Carbohydrate/insulin ratio.
This is the amount of carbohydrate you need to eat at a meal for each unit of bolus insulin you use.

Dawn Phenomena.
A situation where the blood sugar level rises naturally in the early hours of the morning despite all ones efforts to control it. It is thought it is the body's natural preparation for when you are going to have to get up and start moving.

Insulin sensitivity factor.
This is the amount your blood glucose is lowered by the injection of 1 unit of insulin. It differs from person to person and has to be worked out by the individual.

Luer Lock.
A type of connector with a locking mechanism that is used a lot in medical equipment. It consists of a male and a female part. Fits on the end of plastic tubing and is easy to disconnect. Usually just requires a quarter turn.

Non-volatile Memory.
This means that the device has the type of memory that prevents the program being lost when you change the battery or even if the battery dies. Without this the device can stop supplying basal insulin because the program that requests it is no longer there and it will not sound an alarm because it thinks that is what you want.

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