More questions than answers remain concerning effects of airplane travel on insulin pump delivery

August 30, 2011 in Other
More questions than answers remain concerning effects of airplane travel on insulin pump delivery

Enlarge

Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics is a monthly peer-reviewed journal that covers new technology and new products for the treatment, monitoring, diagnosis, and prevention of diabetes and its complications. Credit: ©2011 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers

Despite recent concerns that changes in atmospheric pressure during airplane travel may affect the amount of insulin delivered via pump devices, the current evidence is limited and it would be unwise to overreact until more data are available, according to an insightful editorial in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The editorial is available free online.

Irl B. Hirsch, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine (Seattle), and Senior Editor of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics penned a thoughtful editorial commenting on a recent article by King et al., in which the authors simulated the effects of changes in in a hypobaric chamber and reported the delivery of improper amounts of to a small number of patients with type 1 who used insulin pumps.

"This study was implemented in such a small number of people that large conclusions may not be justified," writes Dr. Hirsch. "It is possible the authors overreacted in their recommendations," he adds, suggesting that their recommendations be viewed with skepticism as they are not supported by data or practical advice.

While the paper by King et al. provides one possible explanation for why blood glucose levels may fluctuate in patients using insulin pumps, it has several limitations, including the very small changes in insulin delivery that occurred during the simulations.

Provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Tongue analysis software uses ancient Chinese medicine to warn of disease

For 5,000 years, the Chinese have used a system of medicine based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body. In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify ...

Other created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Neck strength, cervical spine mobility don't predict pain

(HealthDay) -- Neither isometric neck muscle strength nor passive mobility of the cervical spine, two physical capacity parameters found to be associated with neck pain in other studies, predicts later neck ...

Other created 9 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Pool access for the disabled sparks controversy

(AP) -- The Obama administration is sidestepping an election-year confrontation with the hotel industry and other pool owners to give them more time to comply with access rules for the disabled.

Other created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chile to cover sex change operations

Chile will soon cover sex change surgeries under its public health plan in order to allow citizens of limited means to "recover their true sexual identity," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said.

Other created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researcher calls for new approach to regulating probiotics

In today's Nature scientific journal Dr. Gregor Reid, Director of the Canadian R&D Centre for Probiotics at Lawson Health Research Institute and a scientist at Western University, calls for a Category Tree system to be imp ...

Other created May 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast


Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse

(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...

Cancer may require simpler genetic mutations than previously thought

Chromosomal deletions in DNA often involve just one of two gene copies inherited from either parent. But scientists haven't known how a deletion in one gene from one parent, called a "hemizygous" deletion, can contribute ...

Skp2 activates cancer-promoting, glucose-processing Akt

HER2 and its epidermal growth factor receptor cousins mobilize a specialized protein to activate a major player in cancer development and sugar metabolism, scientists report in the May 25 issue of Cell.

Inherited DNA change explains overactive leukemia gene

A small inherited change in DNA is largely responsible for overactivating a gene linked to poor treatment response in people with acute leukemia.

Early physical therapist treatment associated with reduced risk of healthcare utilization and reduced overall healthcare

A new study published in Spine shows that early treatment by a physical therapist for low back pain (LBP), as compared to delayed treatment, was associated with reduced risk of subsequent healthcare utilization and lower ...

New device allows pacemaker patients to safely undergo MRIs

For many, it's a medical conundrum: The very pacemaker keeping their heart in rhythm prevents them from undergoing an MRI to diagnose other ailments, because interaction between the two devices could prove deadly.