The history of diabetes care is a fascinating one that really represents the large strides made in recent years to cure diabetes. Through the years, many clinical advances have been made, and some have stuck as true aids in diabetes care, while some have faded in their expensive, idealistic goals for easy diabetes care. Lets face it: diabetes care is complex. But through the medical tools created over the past fifty years,
diabetes care has come a long way.
For more information, check out http://professional.diabetes.org/News_Display.aspx?CID=57894&TYP=9, or http://www.kenes.com/attd2008/index.asp.
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes was discovered in the early 19th century, but self-monitoring of glucose levels did not begin until the 1970s ushered in the personal glucose monitor, so patients could test at home without supervision. This made caring for diabetes easier than ever before, giving patients some freedom over the chronic illness.
The 1980s were a time of economic expansion, for the whole country, but especially in diabetes care. Massive amounts of money were being spent on research and marketing for new products, making diabetes an expensive disease for organizations such as Medicare. It was simply expected that people would be able to take care of their diabetes on their own, at home, with a few check ups a year from their doctor, no matter what the cost to companies and individuals.
When the 1990s came around, the industry of diabetes care was growing rapidly. Again, it was simply expected that people would be able to take care of their disease from home, but insulin pumps, insulin pens, oral pills, and surgeries were created in order to take away the pain and frustration that everyone associates with diabetes.
And then there was the new millennium. The 2000s brought extreme advances from the patients’ perspective. The Internet made it easy for people to learn more about their disease, and diabetes began to associate with other diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Today, along with expensive technologies like constant glucose monitoring and insulin pumps, people are making small, simple changes in realms such as diet and exercise to stay in control. Surgeries such as islet cell transplants and meters that have laser glucose readers, not lancets that are not popular or effective. However, researchers, doctors, and patients are hopeful for the future of diabetes care.
I know that this is a lot to take in, so I will continue to write about different facets of diabetes care and technology over the month of February.