The renewed hope of conclusively treating diabetes through artificial pancreas is surely an indication of our determined and persistent effort in fighting this lethal disease with most advanced medical research outputs. For more than half century diabetes has been one of the gravest medical challenges that could only be answered with the use of artificial insulin and now with the discovery of artificial pancreas it is hoped that at least Type 1 diabetes can be managed most conveniently. Before we describe the clinical details in relation to treating diabetes through artificial pancreas let us have a look at the relation of diabetes with the pancreas.
Pancreas and diabetes
In regard to our discussion on treating diabetes through artificial pancreas the huge organic importance of this granular endocrine organ called pancreas must be explained to obtain a better understanding. Pancreas is an important digestive organ and endocrine gland with several functions that are crucial for our organic system. As a digestive organ it is responsible for secretion of pancreatic juice that is loaded with multiple digestive enzymes. As an endocrine gland it produces several hormones that are crucial for many of our most important organic functions. For instance the hormone insulin secreted from pancreas is crucial to maintain the glucose level in the blood and for metabolism of the cells. Similarly serotonin is a hormone secreted from pancreas which is important for neurotransmission, regulating endocrine system and for cell proliferation.
Diabetes is a disorderly health condition in which the glucose or sugar in the blood is not regulated properly to reach body cells as the blood glucose regulating hormone called insulin hormone is not produced by the pancreas anymore. This diabetic condition due to absence of regulating insulin and consequent higher glucose level in the blood is called Type 1 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes insulin may be available but eventually the body becomes resistant to insulin hormone resulting in high glucose level in the blood or diabetes. As seen above pancreas and its function has a more direct relation with Type 1 diabetes. So if the pancreas does not function properly to produce enough insulin as per the requirement of the body the body must fall into diabetic condition and this is the precise medical ground on which treating diabetes through artificial pancreas arises. Let us now see how artificial pancreas works to manage Type 1 diabetes.
Artificial pancreas to manage Type 1 Diabetes
As we have already seen the malfunction of pancreas in producing insulin hormone directly results in Type 1 diabetes and so an artificial system that from time to time can supply the body required level of insulin in time of its need has long been tried to develop by researchers. Just within the last year in several major healthcare facilities across the world artificial system to monitor blood glucose level and supply insulin to the body has been developed that is widely being dubbed as artificial pancreas. Like pancreas the sensors of this system can monitor blood glucose level in real time and accordingly supply artificial insulin to manage that glucose level. For people suffering from Type 1 diabetes treating diabetes through artificial pancreas has already been a blessing since the instrument really proved to be quite satisfactory and needing less medical supervision. This system consisting of real time insulin monitoring mechanism and an insulin pump that can automatically respond to blood glucose level is still in trial in several countries and has been reported very positively in respect of its efficacy.
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