20
NEWS
Tech reduces hypos in
the elderly
Hypoglycaemia - low blood glucose - is more common
in older people and can lead to severe physical and
cognitive impairment if left untreated.
Dr Ahmed El-Laboudi, a
consultant endocrinologist
and diabetologist at ICLDC,
from Imperial College
London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC),
explains that diabetes education and
the latest technology can play a large
part in managing and preventing
dangerous episodes. He says, "Several
factors, including the increased
duration of diabetes and age-related
physiological changes, make the
elderly more prone to hypos."
In elderly people, hypos can
lead to serious consequences. For
example, being unable to compose
themselves during an attack can
result in falls and fractures. It also
increases the risk of arrhythmias,
and studies have also shown a link to
dementia. Alongside education, new
technologies - such as continuous
glucose monitoring (CGM) - can help
manage blood glucose levels, alerting
them when they are at risk and
significantly improving their quality
of life.
Dr El-Laboudi explains, "CGM
technology can be very liberating
for people with diabetes who have
frequent episodes of hypoglycaemia,
not only because they help identify
unrecognised hypoglycaemic
episodes, but also because they are
equipped with alarms that sound
when hypoglycaemia is reached
or predicted. This is particularly
crucial for patients who may have
an episode while asleep, or if they
do not experience classic warning
symptoms of hypoglycaemia.
CGM devices are valuable tools for
physicians, too, because they are
constantly relaying data points, such
as when a patient is experiencing
high or low blood sugar, and what
is happening when they are asleep,
when they eat and when they
exercise. This insight can help us
adjust therapy in a way that improves
the patient's control over their
glucose levels without raising the
risk of hypoglycaemia. Furthermore,
CGM technology plays an essential
role in an effective telemedicine
ecosystem and has shown its value
during COVID-19 related lockdown,
since CGM users can share their data
remotely with their healthcare team."
Trade off?
ICLDC's multidisciplinary team,
which includes diabetologists,
endocrinologists, diabetes educators,
dietitians and psychologists, provides
ongoing support and education to
help people live well with diabetes.
The centre is seeing an increase in
patients in the UAE adopt glucose
monitoring devices to manage their
condition. The centre has more than
4,000 patients who use CGMs.
Using an example of a 68-yearold, Dr El-Laboudi
states that
many elderly patients believe
hypoglycaemia is either something
they must live with or try to avoid
by keeping their glucose levels high,
saying: "This patient believed that
having episodes of low blood sugar
was a trade-off that came with
avoiding high blood sugar levels. She
did not have many classical warming
symptoms either and did not realise
the risk of frequent exposure to
hypoglycaemia. But armed with the
knowledge from our educators and
data that she has been receiving from
her device, she has been able to deal
with them better and reduce future
episodes."
As reported by MenaFM.