Abbott Wins FDA Approval For Diabetes Device That Doesn't Require Routine Finger Pricks

Abbott wins FDA approval for diabetes device that doesn't require routine finger pricks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, which already is sold in 41 other countries.
Abbott Laboratories has gained clearance to start selling in the U.S. the first continuous glucose monitor that does not require people with diabetes to routinely prick their fingers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, which already is sold in 41 other countries.
The device consists of a small sensor, about the size of a quarter, that’s worn on the back of the upper arm to continuously track glucose levels. The sensor, unlike other wearable sensors, does not require patients to prick their fingers for calibration. Patients can place a hand-held reader near the device to see their current glucose levels, trends, patterns and where those levels might be headed. They can then use those readings to figure out how much insulin to take to manage their diabetes.
The device has not yet been approved for use by children in the U.S. but Abbott hopes to gain approval from the FDA.
The company is not disclosing pricing information until it gets closer to launching the product in the U.S., which will likely be before the end of the year, said Abbott spokeswoman Vicky Assardo. But she said in an email the price will be “very similar” to the price in Europe, where the reader costs about $69, and each sensor, which lasts about 14 days, also costs about $69, before insurance. In the U.S., the sensor will last about 10 days.
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Risk of diabetes type 1 'can be tripled by childhood stress'

Stressful life events in childhood such as family break-up, death or illness, can triple the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, research suggests. In a study, researchers found that children who experienced an event associated with “major stress” were almost three times more likely to develop the condition than those who had not.
The Swedish study analysed more than 10,000 families with children aged between two and 14, who did not already have the condition. The aim was to pinpoint any family conflicts, unemployment problems, alteration of family structure, or intervention from social services. Subsequently, 58 children were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The causes of type 1 diabetes are unknown but it is usually preceded by the immune system attacking and killing beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin.
Based on the results, the researchers, from Linkoping University, said they thought the stressful events could contribute to beta cell stress due to increased insulin resistance as well as increased insulin demand due to the physiological stress response, such as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
In the paper, published on Thursday in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes), the authors write: “Consistent with several previous retrospective studies, this first prospective study concludes that the experience of a serious life event (reasonably indicating psychological stress) during the first 14 years of life may be a risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes.
“The current study examined serious li Continue reading

Anxiety and Depression May Increase Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

Symptoms of anxiety found to be independent of symptoms of depression
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) which affects >9% of the population, and depression, which affects >5% of the population, are the leading global causes of morbidity and mortality. Patients with T2D experience depression five-times higher than the general population. Due to the symptomatic similarities between anxiety and depression, they are often documented together. Mortality studies have shown a consistent association between depression and excess mortality, but the evidence relating anxiety and mortality risk remains inconsistent. Recent studies reflect a higher relative risk of mortality associated with depression than anxiety in the general population.
Studies have demonstrated that the mortality risk associated with depression varies according to the severity of disorder and sex. On one hand, major depression increases mortality risk in both men and women, but minor depression increases risk only in men. On the other hand, a study showed excess mortality with anxiety associated in men than women. However, studies rarely consider the presence of anxiety or depression as comorbid, thus the ability to attribute risk to either disorder is obscured. Due to greater risk of noncompliance, depression is a concern in T2D patients who self-manage their treatment. The purpose of the study was to examine the mortality risk associated with T2D and comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety between men and women in a large general population to determine whether they are differentially affected. The primary outcome of in Continue reading

How Does Coffee Affect Blood Sugar and Is It Good for Diabetes?

In the past, coffee was believed to be bad for the overall health. But nowadays, there is growing evidence that the coffee might actually be beneficial and help protect from Parkinson’s disease, certain types of cancer, depression and liver disease.
One study came to the conclusion that if you increase the intake of coffee that might be beneficial, which was contrary to the previous belief.
In fact, increased intake of coffee can reduce the risk of the developing type 2 diabetes. This is great news for people who cannot go through the day or simply start the day without a cup of coffee.
However, people who have type 2 diabetes should be careful. Why? Because in this case, the coffee could have negative effects.
It does not matter if you have diabetes, or you cannot start your day without coffee, or maybe you are trying to reduce the risk of diabetes, you need to know about the effects coffee has when it comes to diabetes.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is actually a disease i.e. group of disease that actually has an effect on the way your body processes the sugar i.e. blood glucose.
The blood glucose is crucial because it is the one that provides your tissues and muscles with energy and it fuels the brain.
In the case of diabetes, there is too much circulation of blood glucose in the body which can lead to some health concerns.
There are different factors that play a role when it comes to developing diabetes. The chronic types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2.
But, there are also other types such as gestational diabetes, which happens in time of pregnancy, but after birth, i Continue reading

Beyond Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

You’ve probably heard of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. But did you know there are several other types as well? As we get into Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s a great time to learn about the various forms of this extraordinarily common disease—and how they might affect you and your loved ones.
What we refer to today as “diabetes” was originally named “diabetes mellitus”— a marriage of the greek verb diabeinein which means “to go through,” and the Latin noun mellitus, meaning “sweet.” Recently, we’ve gained a better understanding of how diabetes develops, which has caused a series of re-classifications. Here, we’ll provide an overview of some of these classifications and their defining characteristics.
Ultimately, diabetes is a disease in which sugar regulation goes awry. Every cell in our body uses sugar as an energy source; however, too much or too little sugar can be problematic. Our bodies control the amount of sugar in the blood via a series of different proteins. One of these proteins is a hormone known as insulin, which is made in the pancreas and circulates throughout the body. This hormone helps cells remove sugar from the bloodstream. Diabetes develops when this regulatory system is disrupted; the factors leading to this disruption are what differentiates the various forms of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D)
About 5-10% of people with diabetes have what is referred to as Type 1 diabetes (T1D). This form of the disease was once known as “juvenile diabetes” because it was typically diagnosed if a person showed symptoms of diabetes during ch Continue reading