The Increasing Problem of Diabetes Mellitus and Search for Treatment

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease affects many people around the world. Due to the increase in the sedentary work around the globe and advancement in the technology nearly 422-500 million people suffer from diabetes (reports according to WHO)[32] . Over the past few decades, this disease has almost grown like the roots in human society. There is someone or the other in today's world who is suffering from this chronic disease. Diabetes is a disease where the blood glucose (aka blood sugar) of an individual is very high. In the human body, blood glucose is the major source of energy which provides the cells with the power to work, and it comes from the food that an individual take. Insulin is a hormone in the human body which is produced by the pancreas, which helps the glucose reach the cells of the body for the energy. Sometimes the body is not able to produce enough insulin (or no insulin) or doesn't use insulin well which results the glucose to remain in your blood, as a result of which the glucose circulates in the blood and doesn’t reach the cells which in turn raises the glucose level of the blood and causes this disease. Diabetes is of two kinds: Type I and Type II. If a person suffers from the Type I diabetes, then the body of the person is not able to produce the insulin. The immune system destroys the cells which produce insulin. As a result, the person has to take insulin in order to stay alive [33]. If the person suffers from Type II diabetes, then the body doesn't make insulin or use it well. This is the most common type of diabetes.

Due to this increasing problem of diabetes, there is always a need for innovative technology which can help the people to keep track of their disease on their own. Many such pharmaceutical companies are working every day to bring such devices to everyone. With the help of these devices, the people will be able to freely and independently track the status of their sugar level. A study which was conducted by Julie Polisena and her team at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health in 2009 found that storing and sharing self- monitored blood glucose using home telehealth tools (such as PDAs or fax machines), supported with physician feedback, showed improved glycemic levels and reduced hospitalizations[34]. There are many glucose monitoring devices available in the market which are manufactured and marketed by some famous pharmaceutical companies which are helping people to keep a track of the blood glucose level independently. These glucometer kits come along with a device which tells the reading of the glucose level, with the help of test strips. In order to use this glucometer, the person pricks the skin (commonly his finger) and applies the blood sample to the test strip which is inserted into a meter. The glucose of the blood reacts with the chemicals in the test strips, then an electric current passes through determining the level of glucose in the blood sample and provides numerical results on the meter. Thus, by using these glucometer kits an individual can get his/her glucose level in seconds.

Wearable technology is the new trend in the glucose level monitoring industry which brings a new trend in testing glucose [35]. These wearable devices comprise of gadgets that can be worn and are equipped with various sensors and wireless connectivity to assist the glucose level monitoring, personalizing treatments, connecting with health-care providers, and even deliver medication to the body when needed. Some wearable includes skin patches, contact lenses, and footwear.

Skin Patches: These are small patches which enclose some sensors that measure the blood sugar level in sweat and automatically release a dose of insulin to check the glucose level in the blood. The patch can be attached to an individual body and in the case of low blood glucose level, it will send a message automatically to the smartphone that reminds the individual to eat. Some patch systems require a wire to transmit the data, but some pharmaceutical companies are working on the patches to send the data wirelessly. A Pharmaceutical company has developed the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System. It's a kind of patch placed at the back of the arm which is made up of a small and round sensor with microfilaments that measure glucose levels in beneath-the-skin fluids per minute. There is an external device that reads through the clothes scans the sensor. The same is already in use in certain parts of Europe.

Contact Lens: Brian Otis and Babak Parviz [36] are exploring smart contact lenses that could monitor blood glucose levels through human tears for Google[x]. A leading pharmaceutical company has agreed to license and commercialize this product once it is available. They are also trying to make lenses that could help in compensating the poor eyesight which is a common problem with the people suffering from diabetes. Google in 2015 was granted a patent for this type of contact lens which can measure the blood glucose level of the humans through his/her tears.

Footwear: The developments in technology is not only restricted to self monitoring. The technological developments are also prevalent in preventing some common diabetes complications which are diabetic neuropathy, which results in limb amputation. Currently, some scientists are working on prototype socks and shoes which are embedded with thermal and pressure sensors which can point out specific areas on the feet of human beings that have an insufficient blood supply [37]. A mobile application will be connected to this footwear which will alert the wearer if one area of the foot is not getting blood supply. It can also inspect some kinds of cuts or soft tissue damage, in which an infection is most likely to develop. Such technology will reduce the cases of amputations. Researchers working at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany are working and testing a sock which is equipped with 40 tiny sensors. These sensors are spread across the sole, heel, top of the foot, and ankle to get a 3D reading. When a person stands on one foot for too long and the pressure starts to build up, the sensors send a signal to a wireless device that communicates with a smartphone, which in turn alerts the person to shift his/her weight to the other foot. Work is being held on making this sock washable. The University Of Arizona Department Of Surgery's Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) is researching on Smart Sox, which is a kind of stocking made up of fiber optics and some sensors that monitors pressure, temperature, and joint angles. This helps in the avoidance of development of foot ulcers. Still, some testing is going on for this Smart Sox.