COMPARISON OF THE CLINICAL USE OF PROTAMINE ZINC INSULIN AND GLOBIN INSULIN IN EQUAL DOSES

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Abstract
Venous blood sugar levels before and after each meal and near midnight and the 24-hour urinary sugar excretion were compared in 97 hospital cases while receiving equal doses of globin insulin and protamine zinc insulin. Half the cases were treated first with globin insulin and then changed to protamine zinc insulin with the other half treated conversely. Diet and other conditions were constant during the period of comparison. Composite curves of all these blood sugar levels showed that globin insulin controlled the blood sugar curve and also the degree of glycosuria in a more nearly normal way than did an equal dose of protamine zinc insulin. More patients were better controlled with globin insulin according to their individual blood sugar curves, hypoglycemic reactions and sense of well being. Globin insulin as now prepared with glycerin was found to be free of local reaction or allergy. A tendency to mid-afternoon hypoglycemia with globin insulin seems preferable to the nocturnal reactions with protamine zinc insulin; the latter are likely to be more severe and less readily recognized and corrected. While most patients had better blood sugar curves with globin insulin a few showed better curves with protamine zinc insulin. The majority of diabetic patients needing insulin can be adequately controlled by a single daily dose of either globin insulin or protamine zinc insulin, each of which should be tried before resorting to the use of complicated and confusing mixtures. Thorough statistical treatment of the data was used. Globin insulin (with zinc and glycerin) was found to be a safe and useful prepn. for the treatment of diabetic patients.