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Issue date: July 11, 1999
In
this article:
 New
insulin pump for diabetics
More
technology that controls illness
Millions
of diabetics could get high-tech help
Insulin
pumps lead a parade of pain-free tools.
By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Go to top
 aking
insulin no longer means syringes and pain for more and more diabetics.
Instead, a beeper-size insulin pump is today's most effective
therapy for 1.5 million Americans who take insulin every day. The
pump delivers a continuous supply of insulin 24 hours a day to keep
blood sugar in the desired range and to prevent complications such
as blindness, heart and kidney failure and limb amputation. Unfortunately,
only about 5% of insulin takers are on the pump.
The pump's biggest booster may be Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson,
who wears her pump on her waist but sometimes tapes it to her thigh
so evening gowns will keep a smooth line.
After a year of wearing a pump, Melanie Attwooll, 24, an executive assistant in New York City, says, "My whole quality of life has changed. I used to get tired so easily. Now I can keep on going." Before, "I was waking up with such high blood sugars that I was feeling groggy and not ready to face the day."
She no longer takes four to six injections every day. Nor does she eat specific amounts of food at prescribed intervals. "I can go hours without eating if need be, or if I want to indulge myself, I can do that." Before a meal, she programs the pump to match the amount of food she intends to eat. She can easily add more if she decides to eat dessert.
Freedom is what Zachary Ullman likes best about his insulin pump. The 11-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., has worn a pump for three years: "I can eat junky things whenever I want. I no longer have to eat every two hours."
Still, insulin pumps are not for everyone, cautions Carol Levy, an endocrinologist at New York's Beth Israel Hospital. Patients must be highly motivated and willing to test their blood sugars frequently.
It is especially useful for people who can't control their diabetes with injections, for adolescents with erratic lifestyles, and for women who want to get pregnant or lose weight. The only negative: having something attached to you all the time.
Most insurance companies reimburse for the $6,000 pump, made by
MiniMed in America and Disetronic in Switzerland. An implanted pump
is available in Europe; approval in the United States is pending.
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to top
More ways
technology helps control illness
For diabetics
Millions of Americans with diabetes need to test their blood glucose
regularly. Four new approaches:
Laser "finger sticks." Instead of piercing skin with a
steel lancet to
draw blood to test glucose levels, a laser lancet vaporizes skin for the test. Now in use by doctors; still too costly and cumbersome for consumers.
Continuous glucose monitoring. The FDA approved this diagnostic
tool for doctors in June.
Monitoring patch. Place single-use glucose-monitoring patch
on the skin. Hand-held meter reads blood glucose level through patch
without puncturing the skin. Undergoing clinical trials.
No-stick tester. Test blood sugar by placing your arm on
a non-invasive sensor and pressing the button. Too costly and heavy
for consumer use
at this point. Being sold in Europe,
FDA approval pending.
For other
chronic conditions
Pain. TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator)
lets
patients block pain signals with high-frequency electricity to the nerves.
Heart disease. A tiny metal tube called a stent is used
to hold clogged arteries open as an alternative to more costly and
dangerous angioplasty
or coronary bypass surgery. A laser
can punch tiny holes in the heart as another alternative to bypass surgery.
Eye, ear and throat disorders. Corneal rings, cochlear
and laryngeal implants can substitute for the real thing in treating
nearsightedness, deafness and weakened vocal cords.
Epilepsy. A gel of the drug diazepam reduces the severity
of acute repetitive seizures, letting patients be treated away from
emergency rooms.
Clarification: The June 4-6 story on corrective eye surgery for
athletes should
have noted that only the excimer laser developed at the Kremer Eye
Center in
King of Prussia, Pa., has FDA approval for LASIK surgery. Other
centers perform such surgery under broader FDA guidelines.
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