Genome | Personalized Insulin Pumps Help Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

Personalized Insulin Pumps Help Patients With Type 1 Diabetes
Managing type 1 diabetes is a full-time job, one that bears an unrelenting reminder of the chronic disease through daily injections and pinpricks. But a new clinical trial for a personalized intervention could pave the way to easing the burden for patients with diabetes.
Sponsored by Medtronic, the multicenter nationwide trial is testing a first-of-its-kind, FDA-approved system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor and control participants blood glucose levels. Medtronic first released the MiniMed 670G device used in the trial in 2016 after the FDA decided to fast-track the systems approval.
Now, investigators are enrolling patients for the second cohort of Medtronics four-year clinical trial with the aim of having 1,000 subjects complete the study. The trial divides subjects into three cohorts: those currently using insulin pumps but not blood glucose sensors ; those using a pump and a sensor; and those using neither pumps nor sensors.
Linda Aman, a sub-investigator on the trial, has patients who drive several hours to participate at the Grunberger Diabetes Institute, one of the trial sites in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for the promise of a more automated insulin delivery system.
Basically what this pump does, it is supposed to reduce the burden of taking care of [type 1] diabetes, Aman says. Its a very high burden. You have to deliver your insulin somehow either with a pump or with injections or you can inhale it. But you have to do all this in contest with what your blood sugars are doing, so yo Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Pump May Beat Shots for Type 1 Diabetes

Study found young patients had better blood sugar control with insulin pump, but cost is higher
TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- In young people with type 1 diabetes, insulin pump therapy may offer better blood sugar control and fewer complications than daily injections of the vital hormone, new German research suggests.
"Insulin pumps work, and they work even somewhat better than multiple daily injections overall," said Dr. Robert Rapaport, chief of the division of pediatric endocrinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Dr. Siham Accacha, a pediatric endocrinologist at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., explained why that might be so.
"If the pump is really taken care of, you can micromanage your diabetes," she said. "You can stop the pump if your blood glucose is coming down, or you can give a bit more insulin if it's going up."
Both Rapaport and Accacha prefer pump use, but if patients would rather do multiple daily injections, the doctors said that excellent control can also be maintained with shots. It's really a matter of patient preference, they noted.
One issue with the pump is price. The start-up cost for a pump can be as much as $5,000, according to Accacha. And there are monthly costs for supplies as well. Insurers, especially Medicaid, sometimes hesitate to pay, both experts said. But studies like this latest one help provide more evidence about the importance of pump therapy.
"Pumps are more expensive, but I don't think expense should guide quality of therapy," Rapaport said. "Even though pumps are more e Continue reading

Should People With Diabetes Take Aspirin? What Doctors Say | Everyday Health

Aspirin has a wide variety of uses, including potentially promoting heart health in people with type 2 diabetes.
When you think about common aspirin uses, you likely think of the drug as falling in line with ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and other common over-the-counter medications for pain relief. But that isnt the only potential benefit of aspirin.
Aspirin has been used in many different treatments for a variety of medical issues, says Deena Adimoolam, MD , an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai in New York City. But predominantly, its mainly for diseases related to heart disease. She adds that you might also consider taking aspirin if you have a history of strokes.
Aspirin is an anti-platelet agent. It thins the blood, and it helps prevent blood clotting, says Jennifer Shrodes, RD, CDE , who is on the diabetes education staff at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
If youre managing type 2 diabetes , aspirin might be helpful for warding off future health complications, too.
Why Aspirin and Diabetes Might Make a Good Match
The main benefit of aspirin for people with type 2 diabetes relates to the drugs potential effect on cardiac health . Heart disease is the primary cause of preventable death worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , and people with diabetes should be particularly mindful of their increased risk for heart disease. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) , at least 68 percent of people age 65 or older who have diabetes die from some form of heart disease, and Continue reading

Diabetes and Disasters: How To Manage Your Diabetes During Disasters

By Elisabeth Almekinder RN, BA, CDE 1 Comment
For years, I have been in the midst of disaster and shelter situations as a nurse for the State of South Carolina, and later North Carolina.
From Red Cross shelters, to special medical needs shelter, from hurricane, to tornado, to flood, Ive seen them all.
A disaster always takes you by surprise. Even if the news has been talking about the hurricane coming, until the tornado from the west side of it spins off and takes your home, you dont believe that it will ever happen to you.
Though this hurricane season is almost over, there are six weeks left to go, with an active Atlantic Ocean that seems to kick up a bigger monster hurricane every week. Hurricanes, and related flooding and tornados, are only a few of the natural or unnatural disasters we could encounter, where we might need emergency supplies for basic survival due to diabetes.
Earthquakes, ice storms, power outages from large thunderstorms, and even wars and terrorism, can present disaster situations. Currently in the United States, active shooter situations and terrorist related events have threatened the safety of some Americans.
The time is now to prepare for a disaster, no matter what it may be. When you have diabetes, there are certain things that you need to do to prepare and plan for any disaster that might come your way.
Ten days after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, devastating the island and leaving US citizens without power, food, or water, many are still waiting for relief.
The headline on the news tonight is, Many in Puerto Rico without power, wat Continue reading

Vitamin D: Making Sure You Get Enough

Not too long ago, vitamin D was all the rage. Claims about the benefits of this vitamin abounded, with declarations about its ability to help fight conditions ranging from cancer to depression to multiple sclerosis. While some of these claims have been shown to be unfounded, it is still a necessary — and essential — nutrient that all of us need, and many of us fall short. Here’s how to make sure you’re getting enough of this important vitamin.
What does vitamin D do for us?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.
Bone health: We need this vitamin to absorb calcium and to build strong bones (this is especially important to keep in mind, as people who have diabetes are at higher risk for bone fractures). A lack of calcium raises the risk of osteomalacia (bone softening) and osteoporosis (porous, fragile bones). Besides helping the body to absorb calcium, vitamin D regulates levels of calcium and phosphorous, which is necessary for bone health and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany, a condition involving spasms related to not enough calcium in the blood.
Immune function: A strong, healthy immune system is vital for helping us to ward off diseases and infections such as the flu and the common cold. In particular, vitamin D allows T cells, the “killer cells” of our immune system, to react and fight off infection.
Inflammation: Inflammation is the body’s immune response to a negative stimulus, such as bacteria or viruses. While acute inflammation is helpful — fighting an infection, for example — chronic inflammation can occur due to the immune system attacking the body, Continue reading