DIGITAL tools used to manage diabetes are gaining popularity in Bahrain which is a good sign, according to an expert.
A number of innovative devices from insulin pumps to sensors, monitors and Bluetooth-enabled insulin reservoirs all make “life easier” for diabetic patients, said Royal Bahrain Hospital Diabetes and Endocrinology senior consultant Dr Wiam Hussein.
These tools can help patients avoid injecting themselves to test their blood sugar levels – or complicated calculations to balance diet with insulin.
The GDN previously reported that Bahrain has the third highest obesity rates in the Gulf, a key risk factor leading to diabetes – 20 per cent among males and 38pc among females.
Fifteen per cent of adults in Bahrain also have a form of diabetes, according to the latest statistics.
“We believe innovation technology is the future of medicine and we have so many devices especially for diabetes,” Dr Hussien told the GDN.
“These devices can help patients have better control over diabetes and quality of life; hence our focus should be more on such technology, not only in diabetes but also in cases of osteoporosis and endocrinology.
“It is a good sign that people are aware of such technology and tools and are using them.”
The most common device is the insulin pump, which has a reservoir-like cartridge, a battery-operated pump, and a computer chip which controls the amount of insulin.
The pump continuously delivers insulin and can be programmed for individuals, like delivering additional insulin during meals.
“These pumps have been in the market for almost 17 years now,” said Dr Hussein.
“It is small pager-sized equipment attached to a thin plastic tube and has a cannula at the end through which insulin passes.
“This cannula is inserted under the skin, usually on the abdomen, and is changed every three days.
“With this a patient can avoid 12 injections and the pumps are also Bluetooth-enabled.”
Other fairly new devices are the sensors and the cannula-connected reservoirs that take insulin into the body.
“The device comes with tiny sticky sensors that could stay put on your body for 14 days and a monitor can be used to scan the sensor over the clothes.
“So there is no pricking and you get to read your sugar level with accuracy.”
Another method to deliver insulin into the body is to fill a small pocket placed on skin with the medicine which is then absorbed into the body.
“This reservoir is connected to a cannula that sticks to the skin.”
Other measures include insulin tablets that can be placed under the tongue, while the insulin inhaler is something that is still to reach Bahrain.
The GDN previously reported that 50pc of Bahrain’s population aged under 20 is overweight while 40pc is obese, key risk factors leading to Type 2 diabetes, adding that the country spends 15pc of its healthcare budget on medicines for diabetes.
Globally, last year diabetes affected an estimated 9.3pc of the people (463 million), rising to 10.2pc (578m) by 2030 and 10.9pc (700m) by 2045. The prevalence is higher in urban areas (10.8pc) compared with rural ones (7.2pc), and in high-income countries (10.4pc) compared with low-income nations (4pc).
raji@gdn.com.bh
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