There are 425 million people with diabetes in the world. Heart problems, kidney failure or blindness - these can all be consequences of the metabolic disease. In order to avoid damage to organs or body parts, it is important to recognize them early and treat them correctly. Medical technological progress is a top priority: Thanks to modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods, diabetes patients now have the possibility of being treated digitally. You can read in our current Topic of the Month what this can look like, where there is still room for improvement and what else could be done in the future in the field of diabetology.
Monitoring blood sugar levels, counting carbohydrates, calculating insulin doses, and keeping accurate records in a journal – diabetes is a data-intensive disease that demands a lot of self-discipline and attention from those who are affected by it. Some concerns are patients neglecting to keep a food journal, "fudged" test results or calculation errors. Digital solutions help patients easily manage the large volumes of data.
Treating diabetes – then and now
The daily routine of many diabetic patients still looks like this: prick your finger before each meal, apply the blood droplet to the test strip and insert it into your meter and check your blood glucose level, estimate the amount of carbohydrates in your meal and calculate your insulin dose while taking all other influencing factors into account and keep a journal of it of course. Given all of these required calculations, there is an increased likelihood of making a mistake. Many diabetics are constantly worried about their blood sugar levels being either too high or too low. Diabetes profoundly affects their everyday lives.
Nowadays, computer-based options support patients in their constant calculation endeavors. Patients can now use a blood glucose monitor with memory capabilities for example. The physician subsequently imports the device data into an evaluation software on the computer via USB or Bluetooth. The software automatically analyzes the patient's measurement results since his/her last visit to the doctor and creates a graphic chart of the test results. The doctor can select different display options and have the measurements displayed as curves on a daily or weekly basis. This makes it easier to adjust the treatment – thus taking a big step towards individualized treatment.
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