Diabetes Reversal Artificial Pancreas Therapy
Managing diabetes is a challenging job. It is not always easy to keep blood sugar levels normal even after careful monitoring. Artificial pancreas therapy is an excellent way to help people manage their Type 1 diabetes. US FDA has also approved Artificial Pancreas Therapy as treatment for Type 1 diabetes for individuals aged 14 years & more.
What is Artificial Pancreas Therapy?
Artificial pancreas first came as treatment in the year 2016. This is a device which automates blood sugar management in the body. It doses & corrects amount of insulin which the body requires for proper functioning. A tablet or smartphone can direct a computer program which will control the artificial pancreas which links to a glucose monitor sensor & insulin pump so as to find out blood sugar patterns alongside controlling insulin delivery.
Imitating Pancreas
Function of pancreas is to release hormones & digestive enzymes in the body. Insulin is one such hormone which allows glucose uptake from blood into cells to be used for energy. This process eventually lowers blood sugar levels.
Glucagon is another hormone secreted by pancreas which causes liver to release glucose which is stored. Eventually, this raises blood sugar levels.
Pancreas will not be able to make insulin that is required to regulate blood sugar in Type 1 diabetes patients. Therefore sugar stays in blood since insulin is not available for cellular uptake. Subsequently, this will raise blood glucose levels & cause serious acute & chronic health problems.
About Artificial Pancreas
As of now, “Hybrid System” is the only type of artificial pancreas presently available. This is a closed loop system which includes a sensor that is attached to the body. It is designed to measure glucose levels every five minutes. Alongside this it also automatically gives or withholds insulin with help of an insulin pump. This device also contains a computer chip which determines doses of insulin. This device is considered to be a hybrid system since it is not completely automatic.
Artificial Pancreas is FDA Approved
The first American clinical hybrid artificial pancreas trial was approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012. This trial was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation & modeled after clinical trials in Europe where Type 1 diabetes patients wore artificial pancreas devices in home settings. This eventually proved that hybrid artificial pancreas systems were useful in treating Type 1 diabetes. This FDA baking shows the potential efficacy of treatment. Artificial pancreas system run on a computer algorithm.
Future of Artificial Pancreas
More advanced artificial pancreas devices are down the pipeline. These can dramatically improve live of people with Type 1 diabetes. They can help manage symptoms & effectively improve sugar control. New generation of artificial pancreas are advancing technologies in the direction of fully closed-loop systems which offer a high degree of control over blood sugar levels without having to depend upon human monitoring.