Insulin pump - A review

摘要

The discovery of insulin in 1922 revolutionised the treat-JL ment of type 1 diabetes and changed its natural history from that of an acute, rapidly fatal illness to a chronic disease with serious long term complications. The Diabetes Control and Complication Trial (DCCT) established thatintensive glycaemic therapy could delay the onset and progression.of these chronic complications, thus providing the impetus to achieve near normal glycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes. The DCCT trial also showed that with intensification of therapy, the risk of severe hypoglycaemia increased three folds. Thus, the single biggest barrier to the achievement of normoglycaemia is hypoglycaemia. An estimated 6-10% of patients with type 1 diabetes die as a result of hypoglycaemia. Thereby, the quest to achieve normoglycaemia without increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes often remains elusive.