Healthy living
Body matters
Swipe card will control diabetes
An automated system for maintaining normal blood sugar levels could transform life for many people with diabetes
The new type of swipe card can monitor blood sugar levels and automatically trigger an insulin injection - if needed - is expected to become widely available by 2008.
Diabetes is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly and affects some two million people in the UK.
Researchers at the British technology firm Cambridge Consultants have developed an intelligent swipe card, which transmits information to an insulin pump worn on a patient's belt. The patient first places a drop of blood on a strip, which is fed into the card to be analysed.
"The whole thing works in a similar way to the Oyster card on the London Underground," says a spokesperson from the company. "You can swipe the meter within 10 cm of the pump and the insulin is automatically injected."
At the moment, people with diabetes who need insulin injections have to inject the hormone with a needle or manually operate an insulin pump.
Diabetes is on the rise on the UK, but not every sufferer needs insulin injections. Around 15 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 1, when the body is unable make insulin, which helps cells absorb glucose. The main treatment is insulin injections.
The majority have type 2 diabetes, which tends to develop later in life and is linked to obesity. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). Type 2 diabetes is treated with lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet, weight loss and increased physical activity or, if this is not effective, with tablets or insulin.
The signs and symptoms of diabetes are:
• Increased thirst
• Having to pass urine all the time - especially at night
• Extreme tiredness
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Genital itching or regular episodes of thrush
- Slow healing of wounds.
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.