In collaboration with Medtronic
Although the pandemic emergency is now behind us, the one linked to diabetes persists and especially concerns the youngest. Four years after the lockdown, the relationship that emerges between the two pandemics, one infectious and mostly unknown, the other non-transmissible and widely known, is characterized by lights and shadows, with on the one hand a significant improvement in glycemic control and in general of the pathology – also thanks to the massive experimentation of remote monitoring – on the other hand the increase in the incidence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
In the case of type 1 diabetes, which today affects around 300,000 Italians and accounts for around 10% of cases, the highest risk remains for children and young people. The data, which before Covid-19 spoke of an increase in diagnoses of 2-4% every two years, in the period between 2019 and 2021, showed a rate ten times higher, with peaks of 27%.
Limiting the impacts of this second pandemic means first of all strengthening diagnostic activity. To date, in fact, around 40% of type 1 diabetes diagnoses are made late. The benefits of a timely diagnosis are important, especially for early cases. For a child under 10 years of age, recognizing diabetes in time, treating it and keeping it controlled means increasing their life expectancy by up to 16 years.
From the point of view of diagnosis, Italy is positioned at the forefront. With law 130/2023 of last September 15th, it became the first country in the world to have established type 1 diabetes screening. The prevention activity aimed at populations at risk represents an important public health tool also for other non-communicable metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.
In the recipe for improving the expectations of people with diabetes, the second fundamental ingredient is the constant control of the pathology, an activity in which blood sugar monitoring plays an essential role. This is a factor that, throughout history, has led to a real revolution in the management of type 1 diabetes, drastically improving glycemic results and above all the quality of life of people with diabetes.
Compared to the solutions adopted until the mid-19th century – in which the concentration of glucose occurred by measuring the presence of this component in the urine – the methods and consequently the instruments used have undergone notable evolutions, so much so that today we have advanced technologies that allow a continuous monitoring and, above all, in real time. Since they first became available in the form of a fingerstick in 1967, home glycemic self-monitoring systems have undergone radical changes in terms of design, usability and accuracy, becoming a fundamental pillar in the integrated and personalized management of diabetes, thanks to the possibility to adapt insulin therapy to the actual needs of the patient.
However, these are benefits that are still excluded from some diabetic patients today. The main limitations are to be found in access and optimal use of these technologies, in factors such as digital and technical literacy, and in now essential resources such as the internet and smartphones. The potential, however, is not lacking, considering that 77% of Italians own one and that during the pandemic the use of the phone to monitor health via apps jumped from 8 to 67%.
Added to this is the need to include glycemic control in a broader approach aimed at building personalized and individualized paths in the management of diabetes, which take into account the individual characteristics of patients, starting from their lifestyles, social context and economic environment in which they live and work, and the genetic and behavioral factors that distinguish them.
Raising awareness of diabetic pathology and knowledge of the services and technologies already available to patients and healthcare professionals will also be at the center of a specific initiative by Medtronic, a pioneering US company in healthcare technology, present in Italy for over 40 years. Through a traveling truck tour in some of the main Italian cities – from North to South Italy – Medtronic will host moments of dialogue and discussion with experts, training sessions and insights into technologies dedicated to diabetes for the months of April and May.
Various “practical” and hands-on moments are planned on the various days, as well as a workshop dedicated to carbohydrate counting, with the aim of presenting the characteristics and benefits of the new devices, which integrate advanced technology and simple and intuitive design, to make diabetes management is easier and safer. The meetings are aimed at healthcare professionals and patients, with the opportunity to try the products directly (through a space dedicated to the Smart MDI System and the MiniMed 780G System) and interact with Medtronic specialists.
The tour will kick off with the Turin stop on 3 and 4 April 2024, a route that will continue in Rome (8-9 April), passing through Salerno (15-16 April) and Bari (18-19 April) up to Catanzaro (April 22-23). On 29 and 30 April the truck tour will go back to Scandicci, and then end in Milan (2-3 May).
Further information is available at the following link: https://www.medtronic-diabetes.com/it-IT
