It made the college student nearly fall for it Xiao Li is a 24-year-old college graduate from Hunan province whom I saw in the diabetes health education clinic. He found that he had symptoms such as dry mouth, excessive drinking and weight loss while attending college in Beijing, and was diagnosed with diabetes when he went to the hospital, and his blood sugar was very high at that time. Happily, after receiving regular intensive insulin treatment in the hospital, his blood sugar quickly reached the standard. After he was discharged from the hospital, he continued to control his diet, increase exercise, inject insulin and monitor his blood sugar, while adjusting the insulin dose according to the blood sugar value as instructed by the doctor, he soon found that the insulin dosage became less and less, and finally he was able to keep his blood sugar at normal level even when he stopped using insulin. At this time he was overjoyed and thought his diabetes was cured. He rushed to the hospital to report to his supervising doctor, and only then did he realize that he was in temporary remission and had entered the “honeymoon phase” of diabetes. So, what exactly is this “honeymoon period” all about? The “honeymoon period” for diabetics Research has found that with proper treatment (especially intensive insulin therapy), newly diagnosed diabetics can have a wonderful time when their blood sugar is normal without the need for injections and medication. This period is as sweet as a newlywed honeymoon for diabetic patients, so it is clinically called the “honeymoon period” of diabetes. Why does the “honeymoon period” occur? The normal human pancreas can secrete insulin as needed to maintain blood sugar in a normal range according to changes in blood sugar. In contrast, in patients with diabetes, there is severe insulin resistance and the “glucotoxicity” of long-term hyperglycemia causes the secretion function of the pancreas to gradually decline and eventually fail completely. However, in the early stage of the disease, the function of pancreatic beta cells in the pancreas has not been completely lost. If strict treatment can be implemented at this time, the glucotoxic effect can be relieved so that the pancreas can get sufficient rest and then regain some of its functions. In other words, through early and active pharmacological intervention, the damaged pancreatic beta-cell function of diabetic patients can be reversed to a certain extent, and a period of clinical remission can be won in which blood glucose can be maintained normally without the need for glucose-lowering drugs. Two key factors determine whether the “honeymoon period” occurs. The “honeymoon period” mostly occurs during early intensive insulin therapy, and not every diabetic patient can obtain the “honeymoon period”. Therefore, early and aggressive treatment and strict glycemic control are the two key factors for the emergence of the “honeymoon phase”. For those patients with long duration of disease, poor glycemic control and irreversible damage to pancreatic β-cell function, the “honeymoon period” will not occur even with intensive glucose-lowering therapy. Therefore, once diagnosed, diabetic patients should immediately implement intensive insulin therapy, and if the blood sugar is very high, it is best to be hospitalized to receive insulin pump therapy, so that the blood sugar standard is achieved faster, and the “honeymoon period” also comes earlier. Of course, I have also seen some patients with first-onset diabetes who received regular oral hypoglycemic therapy for a period of time and then also obtained a “honeymoon period”. Self-management affects the length of the “honeymoon period” The length of the “honeymoon period” is related to the type of diabetes, the duration of the disease, the degree of damage to the pancreatic beta function and other factors. Generally speaking, the “honeymoon period” is longer for type 2 diabetics than for type 1 diabetics, as type 1 often lasts only a few months, while the “honeymoon period” for type 2 can be months or years. The length of the “honeymoon period” has a lot to do with the patient’s self-management during this period. The tighter the management, the better the blood sugar control, and the longer it lasts. Patients in the “honeymoon phase” of diabetes should not be blindly optimistic, as the emergence of the “honeymoon phase” is not the same as a complete cure for diabetes, but only a temporary remission of the disease. The “honeymoon phase” is not a complete cure for diabetes, but only a temporary remission. Therefore, during this period, diabetic patients should still control their diet strictly, exercise actively, and monitor their blood glucose, in order to prolong the “honeymoon period” as long as possible. Once hyperglycemia is detected again, it means that the “honeymoon period” is over, and the patient should immediately consult a doctor and receive active medication intervention.