Question

1. What are the main goals of therapy for all patients with diabetes in terms of both symptom control and quantitative targets for fasting blood glucose levels and for the hemoglobin A_1c?

2. You prepare a teaching plan to include glargine (Lantus) for your patient. What information will you include in your teaching plan?

Answer 1

1.The main goal of therapy for diabetic patients is to maintain an optimum glucose level and there by preventing the risks of life threatening complications and improving the quality of their life.For maintaining an optimum glucose level one should have a good tracking of fasting blood glucose level as well as Hba 1c.Both these values are important..as there may be at times when a patient can have low FBS value with a high Hba1c..which can be correlated with the patients symptoms.

2.Lantus is a long acting insulin and so also it is advised to take once in a day on same time always.Important complications for this insulin is hypoglycemia and hypokalemia..therefore both should be monitored frequently and dose should be adjusted according to that..and one more thing no other insulin should be mixed with this while loading.