Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that happens when the body can’t use blood sugar properly, causing several medical complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and nerve damage. This ailment is widespread, affecting over 463 million in the world today.
Because of this, medical experts and manufacturers are exploring wearable technology to control the complexities of diabetes to help diabetic people manage their condition and go through their day-to-day routines without worry.
Besides using power or motorized wheelchairs to help them get around more comfortably and insulin pumps to control their blood sugar levels, here are the top gadgets that can help diabetic people.
Skin Patches
Skin patches have small enclosing sensors that measure blood sugar in sweat, automatically releasing a dose of insulin to correct the dangerously high blood glucose levels. Plus, it can also warn individuals when they have low blood sugar levels, sending meal reminders through their smartphones. Diabetic people can attach the patch anywhere on their skin. Some of these patches already exist but need wires to transmit information, but several manufacturers are looking to improve it to send data wirelessly.
Injection Pens
Diabetic individuals can use these injection pens to administer the drugs into their systems more comfortably and more efficiently. The most common pens for diabetes are insulin and glucagon injections. These can also provide GLP-1 antagonists to fight off complications from type 2 diabetes. There are now blue-tooth enabled smart insulin pens available today.
Smart Contact Lenses
Smart contact lenses can help monitor blood sugar levels through human tears, though this device is still in the works. They also aim to make the contact lenses compensate for the poor eyesight, a condition most diabetic people develop over time. This device can help make their eyesight better while keeping track of their glucose levels.
Automatic Insulin Pumps
For individuals who have type 1 diabetes, before advanced medical technology became available to the public, they typically got their shot of insulin when needed by using a traditional syringe. However, today, automatic insulin pumps can make the process easier and less nerve-wracking. The device is typically worn around the waist or attached to a belt or armband. It mimics how the human pancreas works, providing small doses of insulin continuously whenever necessary, eliminating the need to inject yourself with the substance manually.
Socks and Shoes
Not only do technological advancements revolve around helping people monitor their conditions, but some manufacturers also find ways to prevent common diabetes complications. The most common one is diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage that usually happens on the feet and often results in limb amputation. To address this, scientists have created socks and shoesembedded with thermal and pressure sensors to pinpoint specific areas of the feet with insufficient blood supplies, preventing the nerve damage from happening.
This gadget will alert the user through a smartphone application if an area of their feet doesn’t have enough blood supply. Medical professionals can also use this to inspect small cuts where infection may develop, significantly minimizing the risk of limb amputations.
Smart technology stays a promising area of innovation that can enhance many diabetic individuals’ lives, alleviating the need for constant finger pricking and insulin injections. These advancements can make glucose monitoring and drug delivery more efficient, giving patients more time to focus on their lives – and their loved ones.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
