Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42633029›Full record

ReviewCureus2026

Short-Term Intensive Insulin Therapy as a Remission Induction Strategy in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

Tahira Nasreen, Noor Ul Huda Awan, Mohammad Uzair, Sunita Kumawat, Fnu Vanshika, Esha Sharma, Daniel E Cook, Ghazanfar Ali, Ahmad Sattar

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Tahira NasreenObstetrics and Gynaecology, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Worcester, GBR.
Noor Ul Huda AwanInternal Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, PAK.
Mohammad UzairInternal Medicine, Belarusian State Medical University, Minsk, BLR.
Sunita KumawatInternal Medicine, Prime West Consortium (PWC)/St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood, USA.
Fnu VanshikaInternal Medicine, Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences, Hyderabad, PAK.
Esha SharmaInternal Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, POL.
Daniel E CookInternal Medicine, Avalon University School of Medicine, Youngstown, USA.
Ghazanfar AliInternal Medicine, Medicare Hospital, Faisalabad, PAK.
Ahmad SattarInternal Medicine, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, PAK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by progressive β-cell dysfunction, insulin resistance, and glucotoxicity, some of which may remain reversible early in the disease course. Short-term intensive insulin therapy (SIIT) may rapidly normalize hyperglycemia and facilitate β-cell recovery in newly diagnosed T2DM. This systematic review evaluated the effects of SIIT on glycemic control, drug-free remission, β-cell function, durability, and safety. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language randomized controlled trials published during the five-year period ending in April 2026. Four trials met the eligibility criteria. Because interventions, remission definitions, maintenance strategies, and follow-up periods differed substantially, study-level effect estimates, 95% confidence intervals, and p values were synthesized without statistical pooling. SIIT consistently improved early glycemic control, β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity. In one 245-participant trial, medication-supported hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) below 6.5% at three months was achieved by 78.7% of participants receiving SIIT plus metformin-pioglitazone versus 59.0% receiving SIIT alone (adjusted p < 0.05); however, 12-month drug-free remission rates were similar at 50.0% and 50.6%, respectively (p = 0.972). Another trial found that linagliptin-metformin maintenance after SIIT increased the adjusted odds of achieving HbA1c below 7.0% at 48 weeks (odds ratio 2.78, 95% confidence interval 1.37-5.65; p = 0.005), although this represented medication-supported glycemic control rather than remission. In a two-year trial, induction SIIT improved β-cell function and insulin sensitivity (all p ≤ 0.0004), but repeated intermittent SIIT did not improve the Insulin Secretion-Sensitivity Index-2 (adjusted difference -35, 95% confidence interval -66 to -3; p = 0.03). Severe hypoglycemia was not reported in trials providing detailed safety data, and transient weight gain was not consistently demonstrated. SIIT may therefore serve as a selective metabolic induction strategy in early T2DM, but durable remission remains uncertain and may depend on effective sequential treatment. Standardized remission definitions, validated response predictors, and longer comparative trials are required before routine implementation.

Indexed as

beta cell functioncontinuous subcutaneous insulin infusionglucotoxicityglycemic remissioninsulin sensitivityshort term intensive insulin therapytype 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID42633029
PMCPMC13498744

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.