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, and her insulin regimen (injections) of Novolin 30/70 on the lower graph. Please note: Novolin 30/70 in the UK contains 30% short-acting (regular) insulin and 70% intermediate-acting insulin - and is the same as what is called Novolin 70/30 in the USA.

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

This young woman is on a twice daily insulin regimen, injecting a biphasic preparation which has a premixed 30% to 70% ratio of short vs. intermediate acting insulin. While this doesn't permit quite as much flexiblility in selecting a dose, it does save on having to mix insulin in the syringe. Use the simulator to see what would happen if you switched this woman onto other biphasic preparations with, say premixed 10/90, 40/60, or 50/50 constituents.

Below is a data entry form showing this example patient's carbohydrate intake, insulin injection 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):

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.