33^rd European Diabetes Congress

Approaches and technologies for the Treatment of Diabetes

The concept of 'new technologies' for type 1 diabetes and new discovery and advanced type 2 diabetes treatment has expanded in recent years at a rate that some might consider comparable to 'Moore’s Law', and the sheer number of new technologies entering into the type 1 diabetes marketplace is also growing at a remarkable rate. From the patient’s perspective, this is not only exciting but can lead to a sense of optimism. Technologies that today are growing commonplace (e.g. insulin pumps, rapid HbA1c monitoring, etc. come under new therapeutic mechanisms of diabetes. Indeed, it could be argued that the major advances in type 1 diabetes care made within the last quarter of a century have come from technology rather than biology. At the same time, not all new technologies succeed (e.g. the Glucowatch), regardless of their purported promise. Both type 1 diabetes patients and their healthcare providers will soon see a series of further advanced medical technologies used in hospital and new technologies and novel therapies in diabetes treatment whose basis is tied to the notion of improving the lives of those with the disease.
The aim of diabetes treatment is to keep, within reason, blood glucose levels as near to normal as possible. Training in self-management of diabetes forms an essential part of diabetes management. Treatment should be agreed on an individual basis and address medical, psychosocial and lifestyle issues.
A variety of different factors have a role to play in treating diabetes, but the importance of balanced, co-ordinated diabetes treatment for all diabetics cannot be underestimated.
Regular and successful treatment decreases the risk of each patient developing diabetes complications.