3.1.2 BI Literature review The Complications and Potential Solutions of Diabetes Mellitus in a New and Updated Society Jordon King, Trinity Walls Biomedical Innovation 9/10/18 1 3.1.2 BI Literature review 2 Diabetes is a problem facing many people from all around the world in the 21st century. Diabetes causes many severe conditions and if it hadn’t been for solutions developed in the past, we would not have modern day treatments. These modern treatments included a wide variety of insulins and devices to regulate the patient’s blood sugar. Even to this day many diabetics still have trouble managing their high and lower glucose and still need new and innovating ways to better control blood glucose. Diabetes mellitus, otherwise known as diabetes, is a condition where the pancreas cannot regulate the body’s blood glucose. This leads to many complications such as heart disease, kidney disease and even stroke (NIH, 2016), even with modern medicine. They can lower these risks with tight control of blood sugar, but there will always be risks (Allina Health, N. D). The symptoms that come along with diabetes can but not limited to thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss. (Joslin, N.D) There are two major variants of diabetes, there is type one where the body produces no insulin which is the hormone that regulates blood glucose. The second, type two diabetes this is caused when the body becomes resistant to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Complications can range from small to giant cases of medical issues. Type one diabetes (T1D) and type two diabetes (T2D) patients are in the same boat with complications and treatment of the two variants of the disease. When addressing diabetes you have to watch out for improper management of the disease which can lead to several complications (Downshen,2018). This is corrected by tight blood sugar control. When a person’s blood sugar is tightly controlled this leads to all the risks factors of diabetes being lowered by half in most individuals. (Diabetes.org,2018) when considering that the alternative to this disease not being tightly controlled can lead to major organ failure that can lead to death(mayoclinic,2018) the chance of lowering the risks down by half is amazing. While also looking at diabetes all treatments need to be practical since the disease is with the person for a long period so any treatments need to be mobile and easy to use. Solutions in the past were very unreliable and the patient still usually lived for a few years after diagnosed. Early problems where there was no way to lower blood sugar so the only solution was to avoid 3.1.2 BI Literature review 3 blood sugar being made. This resulted in diabetics having to restrict themselves to strict diets of only around four hundred and fifty calories (ADA, 2012). The problem with this solution is that most died from malnutrition or high amounts of blood glucose. Then came the invention of artificial insulin which was made using a dogs insulin hormone discovered by Frederick Banting(Diabetes.org, 2013)This resulted in many lives saved due to being able to lower the patient’s blood glucose. To take the right amount of insulin, you needed to know how much glucose was in your blood and early tests relied on ketones in urines since high amounts of blood glucose made ketones from your blood go into your urine. So early forms of blood glucose testing were called a ketone test in which you test your urine using a ketone test strip. (Bresnik, 2014) Current day solutions include several new accommodations for diabetics. These included eight new insulins,8 new drugs, and 35 new blood glucose meters. (Diabetes Journal, 2018). These medical breakthroughs have dramatically improved day-to-day life for many diabetics. These innovations resulted in the world’s first “artificial pancreas” which is not available to the public yet but allows the patient to control glucose like our natural pancreas does but it is invasive. This uses what is called a CGM or continuous glucose monitoring system which allows constant monitoring of blood glucose. But we may have another solution besides just insulin being used to lower high glucose. The hormone leptin which is produced in the fat cells in our bodies which suppresses the urge of hunger and also suppresses glucagon which results in lower blood sugar using no insulin at all. (Berg,2013) these new medical interventions have helped many diabetics worldwide and have made their day-to-day life about them and not their diabetes. Although current-day medical breakthroughs are amazing, there is still room for improvement. Current day insulin pumps and CGMs are bulky and expensive and the constant changes in medical sites, reservoirs, and CGM packaging add a lot of waste to the world (J. D, N. D). Not to mention insulin pumps may fail and result in diabetic ketoacidosis which causes a diabetic’s blood to become acidic due to the amount of glucose present. There is also the issue with the current obesity rate in America raising results in more cases of type two diabetes(diatribe,2015). This means that diabetic solutions need to be 3.1.2 BI Literature review 4 cheaper and produce fewer waste products. The world can always improve on these factors not to mention curing diabetes and making diabetes extinct. Diabetes is a major problem in the world because of the challenges that come along with the disease. These challenges can affect a person’s entire body because of not handling them correctly. In the past, these challenges were harder to face due to the lack of knowledge and research on the matter. But as time went on, we grew and so did our knowledge of the several new innovations and discoveries made for diabetics. Although there are improvements to be made, diabetes is one step closer to becoming a distant memory. 3.1.2 BI Literature review 5 References Artificial Pancreas Improves Overnight Glucose Control for Range of Real-Life Situations, Latest Data Show. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2010/artificial-pancreas-2010.html Bresnick, G. H., Palta, M., & Korth, K. (1984, January 01). Urinary glucose testing inaccuracies among diabetic patients. Effect of acquired color vision deficiency caused by diabetic retinopathy. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Urinary-glucosetesting-inaccuracies-among-diabetic-BresnickGroo/609391a73578b988e53caebc0263e1e0caa89e5a Diabetes is a serious illness. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://wellness.allinahealth.org/library/content/0/6571 Diabetic coma. (2018, August 22). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/diabetic-coma/symptoms-causes/syc-20371475 Dowshen, S. (Ed.). (2018, March). Diabetes Control: Why It's Important. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/diabetes-control.html History of Diabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/research-andpractice/student-resources/history-of-diabetes.html History of Diabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/research-andpractice/student-resources/history-of-diabetes.html The History of a Wonderful Thing We Call Insulin. (2016, January 29). Retrieved from http://diabetesstopshere.org/2012/08/21/the-history-of-a-wonderful-thing-we-call-insulin/ New Medications for People With Type 1? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2013/sep/new-medications-for-people-with-type-1.html The Past 200 Years in Diabetes | NEJM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmra1110560 Tight Diabetes Control. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/living-with- 3.1.2 BI Literature review 6 diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/tight-diabetes-control.html What Are the Biggest Challenges and Opportunities in Diabetes? (2015, October 05). Retrieved from https://diatribe.org/what-are-biggest-challenges-and-opportunities-diabetes What is Diabetes? (2016, November 01). Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/healthinformation/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes Www.joslin.org, J. D. (n.d.). Joslin Diabetes Center | Diabetes Facts & Information. Retrieved from http://www.joslin.org/info/general_diabetes_facts_and_information.html Www.joslin.org, J. D. (n.d.). Joslin Diabetes Center | The Advantages and Disadvantages of an Insulin Pump? Retrieved from https://www.joslin.org/info/the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_an_insulin_pump.html