insulindelivery

Insulin delivery refers to the methods used to administer insulin to people who require exogenous insulin to regulate blood glucose. The main approaches include subcutaneous injections, continuous subcutaneous infusion via pumps, inhalation, and, in some cases, implants or experimental systems.

Subcutaneous injections can be given with disposable syringes or insulin pen devices. Insulins are formulated as rapid-acting, short-acting, or long-acting preparations to cover meals and provide basal insulin. Pumps deliver a continuous basal dose with user-initiated boluses for meals, allowing more precise dosing.

Inhaled insulin provides rapid-onset insulin delivered through the lungs and is approved only in certain markets and patient populations. Other delivery methods, such as transdermal patches or implantable pumps, remain mostly experimental or limited by absorption and safety considerations.

Dosing strategies commonly follow basal-bolus regimens, with rapid-acting analogs used at meals and long-acting analogs providing background insulin. Dosing must consider carbohydrate intake, activity, illness, and individual absorption variability. Safety concerns include hypoglycemia, weight gain, and injection-site reactions.

Advances in diabetes technology increasingly link insulin delivery with glucose monitoring. Automated insulin delivery systems and closed-loop algorithms, sometimes called artificial pancreas systems, aim to automate insulin dosing and improve glycemic control while reducing burden on patients.