Prof. Dr. Iulian Velea: The vast majority of the time the person with diabetes must self-monitor and self-manage this deficiency

During the Rodiabet Patient Hour webinar organized on April 25, 2024, Prof. Dr. Iulian Velea drew attention to the importance of education for people with diabetes, showing that most of the time they have to manage their condition alone or with their family.

“The onset of diabetes is a real burden, both for the patient and for the family. If we make a summary calculation, from the very large number of hours in a year (ie 8760 hours) the patient comes into contact with the medical team for a very short time, about 10-20 hours a year, which is very little. This means that the vast majority of the time, the patient must self-monitor and self-manage this hormonal deficiency“.

In order to manage this condition as best and as efficiently as possible, the patient needs all 4 elements of treatment: insulin substitution, carbohydrate calculation, education and physical exercise.so that during the 8740 hours he is alone in this ocean called DIABETES, he can find his compass and get where he wants to go” continued the explanations Prof. Dr. Iulian VeleaPrimary Pediatrician with expertise in pediatric diabetes and Coordinator of the National Diabetes Program in Timiș County.

Rodiabet Patient Hour Webinar organized on April 25 is part of the patient education program developed by Medtronic and Rhodiabetes from November 2023, under the general theme “You Can Control Diabetes: Use Technology“.

Prof. Dr. Iulian Velea explained that in recent years, large companies that are involved in the monitoring or treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes have made substantial efforts, both to improve the types of insulin we use to achieve the best possible results, and to development of devices used to administer and monitor blood glucose.

“Because the patient’s self-monitoring did not lead to the expected results, it was necessary to develop these devices that allow the download of reports (of both continuous glucose monitoring systems and sensor-augmented pumps) at 7, 14 or 30 days, which it helps both doctors and patients in the management of diabetes and increases the quality of life, removing as much as possible over time the risk of diabetes complications” says the diabetologist in his intervention.

Glycemic balance is very important

Assessment of glycemic balance is very important in the management of diabetes. “Glucose monitoring was attempted starting from the determination of glycosuria in the urine, the method used in the 50s, reaching in recent years to determine the glucose from a drop of blood and, more recently, to use (after 1999) continuous glycemic monitoring systems for glycemic control” Prof. Dr. Iulian Velea explained the evolution of monitoring systems.

Blood glucose self-monitoring using blood glucose determination has inherent limitations, imposed by the need for repeated pricks, faulty testing techniques, or the fact that it determines blood glucose at a specific point in time without providing information related to trend, starting point or destination. straight (if it is increasing or decreasing). Under these conditions, we understand much more easily the advantages that continuous glucose monitoring systems bring.

“The glycemic monitoring system determines the glucose concentration in the interstitial fluid every 5 minutes. He practically performs 288 determinations in 24 hours and finally achieves a “line” of blood sugars that I can see and draw much more effective conclusions, closer to the truth and make more beneficial therapeutic decisions. It has been proven that the simple use of the continuous glycemic monitoring system decreases the value of glycosylated hemoglobin by at least 1%, without increasing the rate of severe hypoglycemia, so without getting involved in stricter glycemic control” says Prof. Dr. Iulian Velea in his intervention .

Type 1 Diabetes and Technology Educational Meeting Series, Rodiabetes Patient Hour developed by Rhodiabetes and Medtronic will continue in the coming months with other webinars where the technology used in diabetes is presented and explained in a way that everyone can understand.

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