Which practice best reduces the risk of lipodystrophy in insulin therapy?

Which practice best reduces the risk of lipodystrophy in insulin therapy?

• A. Rotate injection sites
• B. Use fixed site
• C. Use large needle
• D. Draw insulin from two vials into one syringe

Answer: (A)

Rotating injection sites prevents lipodystrophy by avoiding repeated trauma and insulin exposure to the same patch of tissue, giving fat tissue time to recover and keeping insulin absorption more consistent. Lipodystrophy—both the fatty lump (lipohypertrophy) and the fat loss (lipoatrophy) that can develop with frequent injections in one spot—distorts how insulin is absorbed, leading to unpredictable blood glucose levels. By changing where you inject and spreading injections across different areas, you reduce local tissue damage and maintain steadier absorption. In practice, this means using multiple sites (abdomen, thigh, arm, buttock) and moving to a new spot so you don’t reuse the exact same patch next time, while keeping injections a bit apart to avoid scar tissue. The other options don’t address tissue damage in the same way: sticking to one fixed site continues to damage that area; using a larger needle increases tissue trauma; drawing insulin from two vials into one syringe has no impact on lipodystrophy risk.

Rotating injection sites prevents lipodystrophy by avoiding repeated trauma and insulin exposure to the same patch of tissue, giving fat tissue time to recover and keeping insulin absorption more consistent. Lipodystrophy—both the fatty lump (lipohypertrophy) and the fat loss (lipoatrophy) that can develop with frequent injections in one spot—distorts how insulin is absorbed, leading to unpredictable blood glucose levels. By changing where you inject and spreading injections across different areas, you reduce local tissue damage and maintain steadier absorption.

In practice, this means using multiple sites (abdomen, thigh, arm, buttock) and moving to a new spot so you don’t reuse the exact same patch next time, while keeping injections a bit apart to avoid scar tissue. The other options don’t address tissue damage in the same way: sticking to one fixed site continues to damage that area; using a larger needle increases tissue trauma; drawing insulin from two vials into one syringe has no impact on lipodystrophy risk.