Scroll down this page to see the effects of different insulin doses and regimens on the blood glucose profile of an example insulin-dependent diabetic patient.

The first graph in the panel below shows a 24-hour blood glucose profile for a typical patient (in red). Her carbohydrate intake is shown in grams on the second graph (in green).

Blood Glucose Level (mmol/l)
BLOOD GLUCOSE GRAPH
CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE GRAPH

The next panel below shows the patient's simulated plasma insulin level on the upper graph (in red), and her insulin regimen of Regular insulin (in red) and intermediate-acting NPH insulin (in green) on the lower graph.

Plasma Insulin Level (mU/l)
PLASMA INSULIN GRAPH
INSULIN PREPARATIONS GRAPH

This insulin-dependent diabetic teenager has been admitted to hospital three times in the past couple of months in diabetic ketoacidosis. She only has three meals per day but is very insulin resistant and tends to run consistently very high blood sugars. How might you adjust her regimen to generally reduce her blood glucose levels? Hint: For a start, try increasing her intermediate-acting insulin doses - can you see how much more insulin she requires to better control her blood sugars?

Below is a data entry form showing this example patient's carbohydrate intake, insulin regimen, as well as other clinical variables such as weight and renal function. Try changing any of these fields to modify the regimen and click on the 'Run Simulation' button at the bottom of the page. This will result in the effects of the changes being displayed in your Web browser window.




Name:


Weight:


Case Number:

Meals: Breakfast: Snack: Lunch: Snack: Supper: Snack:
Time (hhmm):
Carbohydrate (grams):

Insulin Injections:
Preparations:
Time (hhmm):
Dose (units):
Dose (units):

Kidney Function:
Renal Threshold of Glucose: Renal Function:
Insulin Sensitivities:
Liver: Peripheral:


Click on the 'Run Simulation' button above to simulate the effects of your selected changes on the example patient's blood glucose profile. Once the next set of graphs is shown you can make further changes; the number of possible simulations which can be run is nearly infinite. 39 other cases are available for interactive simulation at AIDA on-line, and you can create further cases yourself. Enjoy!

A downloadable version of the AIDA diabetes simulator for PCs (or Apple Macs running SoftWindows or VirtualPC) is also available without charge by clicking here.