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Monday 10 June 2013

'Artificial pancreas' promises to transform treatment of diabetes.

An "artificial pancreas" that could one day vastly improve the lives of millions of people with diabetes has been successfully tested in a home environment for the first time.The device monitors blood glucose levels and uses an infrared data link to relay information to an insulin pump attached to the patient's body, which adjusts insulin levels accordingly. It had previously been tested in hospitals, but five people in the UK with Type 1 diabetes have now successfully used it at home, in a world first for such an invention.

The successful home trial offers people with Type 1 diabetes – where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin – the tantalising prospect of no longer having to worry about the balance of blood glucose and insulin in their bodies, and could also save thousands from limb amputations, kidney failure, eye problems, strokes and early deaths.


Full story here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This must be encouraging news for those with Type 1.Research is not always bad news, but each trial should always be carefully and truthfully monitored. Which is not always so

Kate

Exceptionally Brash said...

lol! About every year, an article comes out like this. They declare it to be new, themselves to be first, and then say it will be ready in 10 years. It is always 10 years, no matter what the year. I think it is btter to try to beat the disease with diet if you can.