The good results of a small study: in those who have type 2 diabetes and use insulin, the time spent with blood sugar under control increases
Thinking about artificial pancreas, type 1 diabetes immediately comes to mind in which pancreatic cells no longer produce insulin and life depends on hormone injections: replace organ functions as much as possible with a system that “feels” blood sugar and administers the The right insulin is a coveted goal and there are many devices trying to do it. Now research published by the University of Cambridge shows that the artificial pancreas may also be an option for some patients with type 2 diabetes who need insulin, for example because they have been ill for many years and the pancreatic cells that produce it have decreased or because oral hypoglycaemic drugs are contraindicated or not tolerated.
Small study
the investigation, posted on nature medicine
involved 26 patients who were followed up for eight weeks insulin therapy and for another eight they tried the artificial pancreaswhich consisted of a blood glucose sensor and an insulin pump operated by an app developed by the researchers, called CamAPS HX, governed by an algorithm capable of calculating how much insulin is needed to keep glucose within the correct range. Unlike devices for type 1 diabetes, the artificial pancreas designed by the British is “closed”, i.e. completely automated: the patient does not have to enter the amount of food he is about to eat into the app to adjust his insulin, for example , but everything is handled by the algorithm. The results of this first clinical trial show that, thanks to the tool, the time spent with normal glucose doubles compared to standard insulin therapy, arriving at 66 percent of the day against 32 percent; similarly, the time with too high blood sugar was halved.
Good results
Mean blood sugar also decreased as well as glycated hemoglobin, indicative of the average blood sugar levels over two, three months; also none had dangerous hypoglycemia, one of the most feared eventualities by all patients who have to use insulin. There was minimal time spent with blood sugar too low, and participants also reported being satisfied with the meter: 89 percent said that thanks to the automatic system, the time to devote to diabetes management was reducedindicating among the major advantages the no longer having to prick to measure blood sugar or for injections and also the greater confidence in the possibility of having good blood sugar control. Some difficulty in donning the device was admitted, as was the fear of hypoglycemiabut the experience seems to have been all in all positive and as explained by the coordinator of the study, Charlotte Boughton of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, «the artificial pancreas could be a safe and effective approach for people with type 2 diabetes who cannot control their blood sugar with insulin injections; the technology is simple and can be managed easily at home». The option, if the larger studies already planned confirm the good results, could therefore be an opportunity not for all people with type 2 diabetes, but for those who use insulin: it is therefore a question of a fraction of casesbecause the most recent guidelines of the Italian Society of Diabetology and the Association of Diabetologists indicate that the hormone is to be reserved for the most serious cases of glycometabolic decompensation and also that the use of insulin pumps should be chosen only for very selected patients.
January 14, 2023 (change January 14, 2023 | 3:30 pm)
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