I received an email this morning from UC student with few research questions she had.
I will share the answers I provided to her here.
1) Can you tell me something about how helping diabetics type 1 has changed throughout history?
Insulin became available only in 20th century and it was a game changer. Prior to that patients with type 1 Diabetes would survive no more than 2-3 years after time of diagnosis (guess how the diagnosis was made back then?).
I think a big milestone was invention of glucose measuring strips in 1980s, that allowed home glucose monitoring and adjustment of Insulin therapy.
Insulin therapy has changed with invention of Long acting insulins and the short acting insulin analogs.
Starting 1950s, idea of insulin pump emerged but pumps were perfected only later on.
At this point insulin pump can deliver tiny increments of insulin and help to regulate glucose in more precise manner.
When Continous Glucose Monitors CGMS became available (about 2001 or 2002) that again created a quantum leap in DM-1 management. At this point we have technology that connects insulin pump with CGMS, loops back to the pump, thus regulating insulin delivery automatically! At least part of the day.
More importantly, type 1 Diabetes Vaccines are on a horizon, waiting to be approved by FDA showing a promise of DM-1 prevention all together.
For cases that are far gone and cannot be prevented/managed with vaccines or even with insulin, pancreas or islet cell transplant is an option and saves thousands of lives.
2. Myths about type 1DM:
Myth #1 that Diabetes type 1 is a diabetes of kids only. That is not correct: it can affect any age and can be seen in elderly too!
Not a myth: DM-1 is a full time job!
What Diabetes myths do you know of?