(NAPSI)—New needle innovations are helping patients with diabetes more comfortably inject insulin, helping dispel the myth that injections are painful. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affects 25.8 million Americans. Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age but is often diagnosed in children, teens or young adults. Type 2 most often occurs in adulthood. Treatment options can include diet, exercise and medication that may require multiple injections a day, such as insulin.

While millions of patients inject insulin every day, many people may not know that new, shorter needles can help make injecting more comfortable. New pen needles as short as 4mm with a thinner gauge and a modified needle tip have been designed and shown to improve the comfort of injections. These shorter needles also lower the chance of accidentally injecting insulin into the muscle, which can be painful. Needles as short as 4mm are effective for children as well as adult patients, even those with a high body mass index (BMI). Longer needles could go too deep into the patient’s body and actually deliver insulin into the muscle, where absorption could be unpredictable and potentially create unanticipated hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) conditions.