The impact of accurate carbohydrate counting on patient’s glycemic targets

Abstract

Preprandial insulin bolus is adjusted taking into account the carbohydrate content of each meal, the patient’s glycemic targets (GHyper, GT and GHypo), the insulin sensitivity factor (ISF), and the insulin-to-carb ratio (ICR) throughout the day. Evidence suggests that accurate carbohydrate counting may have positive effects not only on reducing glycosylated hemoglobin concentration but also on decreasing the incidence of hypoglycemic episodes. Therefore, the efficacy of carbohydrate counting depends not only on the ability of each patient accurately estimate the carbohydrate content of each meal but also on each patient glycemic targets.