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Abbott’s strengthens India by introducing Flash Glucose Monitoring system for diabetics

 

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Diabetes is fast gaining the status of a potential epidemic in India with more than 62 million diabetic individuals currently diagnosed with the disease.India now carries 20 per cent of the global burden of diabetes.

India’s population living with diabetes today is 65.1 million, and It is predicted that by 2030 diabetes mellitus may afflict up to 100 million.So what are the factors currently affecting diabetes in India that are making this problem so extreme? The aetiology of diabetes in India is multifactorial and includes genetic factors coupled with environmental influences such as obesity associated with rising living standards, steady urban migration, and lifestyle changes. These factors puts them at increased risk of health complications including nerve problems, heart diseases, retinopathy and foot ulcers.

Healthcare professionals advise patients with diabetes on the appropriate monitoring regime for their condition. Blood glucose monitoring reveals individual patterns of blood glucose changes. To monitor patient's sugar levels for effective diabetes management and treatment, Abbott has launched a glucose assessment device “Flash Glucose Monitoring System” for the first time in India to manage their diabetes effectively. This is better than traditional fingersticks. Flash Glucose Monitoring system also available in Europe from second half of 2014.

The  Flash Glucose Monitoring system is equipped with a software which is used to  generate reports.  Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP) graph, a visual snapshot, is produced which helps the doctors easily understand when sugar levels go high and low (hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic) over a typical 24 hour period. It is used to identify whether patient is  hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic. It will involve use of a glucose sensor worn on the skin (like current CGM) for up to 14 days and a wireless touchscreen reader device. The patch worn on the body that contains the sensor is silver dollar-sized and about a finger-width thick. Users scan the touchscreen reader over the sensor patch to get their real-time sensor glucose value, a glucose trend arrow, and a trend graph showing the last eight hours

The system would enable people to check their glucose many times without the limitations of traditional blood glucose monitoring (e.g., pain, visibility, incomplete data, and the cost of paying for every strip. The Flash system could be particularly valuable for children and the elderly, who may feel the pain of fingersticks more than others, pregnant women who (ideally) test at least ten times per day, and hospital patients. This development overcomes the shortcomings associated with current monitoring tools. This technology will assist doctors manage diabetes of their patients better. It is great opportunity for India as the first country globally to launch the professional version of the flash glucose monitoring technology

“There is high number of people with diabetes in India  and Current diabetes monitoring tools are limiting. The development of Abbott's Flash Glucose Monitoring System provides better management of diabetes” says Dr Shashank Joshi, president, Association of Physicians of India.


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