'Artificial Pancreas' May Treat Type 1 Diabetes
April 14, 2011 -- New research raises hopes that a so-called "artificial pancreas" can help patients with type 1 diabetes better control their disease.
Adults with type 1 diabetes in a newly published study showed improvements in overnight blood sugar control when an experimental computer-assisted device was used, with fewer episodes of levels dropping to dangerously low levels.
For decades, researchers have searched unsuccessfully for a way to automatically coordinate insulin delivery with real-time changes in glucose to maintain optimal blood sugar levels with minimal effort.
Technological advances have led to commercial devices that continuously monitor blood sugar, as well as insulin pumps.
Researchers are now attempting to tie the two together using sophisticated computer software.
In studies in children with type 1 diabetes, the experimental devices proved to be better than conventional insulin pump delivery for maintaining optimal blood sugar control during the night.
The new study, published today in BMJ Online First, is among the first to show the same thing in adults.
Overnight Glucose Control
Nighttime episodes of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, are common in patients with type 1diabetes, and can cause seizures and even sudden death.
"In children and young adults with type 1 diabetes, nighttime hypoglycemia represents the greatest risk for death," American Diabetes Association past president Larry C. Deeb, MD, tells WebMD.
It is also among the biggest dangers for adult patients.
The new research compared an experimental computer algorithm, which coordinated glucose monitoring and delivery to traditional insulin pump delivery in 24 adults with type 1 diabetes who had used an insulin pump for at least three months before enrollment.
Read More...http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20110414/artificial-pancreas-may-treat-type-1-diabetes?src=RSS_PUBLIC
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