Artificial pancreas hope for diabetes
Friday April 15th, 2011
An artificial pancreas could help to stabilise blood glucose levels at night among adults with type 1 diabetes, researchers say today.
Two studies, published on the British Medical Journal online, suggest that the closed loop insulin delivery can improve overnight blood glucose control.
Previous studies have shown the system is effective in children and adolescents, but its effectiveness in adults is unknown.
The researchers say the system may offer people with diabetes the chance of "more flexible lifestyles."
A team of researchers, led by Roman Hovorka from the University of Cambridge, carried out two studies to compare the safety and efficacy of overnight closed loop insulin delivery with conventional insulin pump therapy in adults with type 1 diabetes.
The group comprised 24 adults (10 men and 14 women) aged 18-65, who had used insulin pump therapy for at least three months.
In the first study, 12 participants were twice monitored overnight after eating a medium-sized meal, with 60g carbohydrate, at 7pm.
They were randomly assigned to use either closed loop delivery of insulin or conventional insulin pump therapy and then, on a night one to three weeks later, they used the other delivery method.
The second study saw the other 12 participants monitored twice monitored overnight, using one or other of the two insulin delivery methods, after eating a meal containing 100 g carbohydrate at 8.30pm, accompanied by alcohol.
Hovorka, principal research associate at the Institute of Metabolic Science, found the time spent with blood glucose levels in the target range increased by up to 28 per cent during overnight closed loop insulin delivery.
Closed loop delivery also lowered glucose variability overnight and significantly reduced the time spent hyperglycaemic.
The closed loop system “may in future allow more flexible lifestyles in conjunction with improved glycaemic control for people with type 1 diabetes”, he concluded.
In an accompanying editorial, Professor Boris Kovatchev, of the University of Virginia, USA, said while it showed promise, further development and system miniaturisation is needed in practice to improve the health of people with type 1 diabetes.
British Medical Journal April 15th 2011
Tags: Diabetes | Internal Medicine | UK News
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