Leading experts are calling for glucose monitoring technology – which is currently only available in the UK to people on intensive insulin therapy – to be used from the point of diagnosis of, and throughout a person’s natural history of living with, Type 2 diabetes.
The number of people living with diabetes in Britain has recently exceeded 5 million, with 90% of these living with Type 2 diabetes. There are also nearly a million people in the UK living with diabetes without knowing it, putting their health at risk. The NHS spends 10% of its entire budget on diabetes care – and 80% of that is on dealing with diabetes complications.
Experts conclude that earlier glucose control can be critical for long-term prevention of such complications and reduce hospital admissions.
Sam Seidu, Professor in Primary Care Diabetes and Cardio-metabolic Medicine at the University of Leicester, one of the authors of the paper, commented: “Glucose sensing technology has been around for many years now and we’ve seen a direct correlation between access to regular glucose insights and better outcomes for people living with Type 1 diabetes. But for people with Type 2 diabetes, access to this technology in the UK is still very limited and our findings today highlight a real opportunity for us to focus our attention on tackling the causes of diabetes complications, rather than simply treating the symptoms. Knowing how your glucose levels individually respond to food and exercise choices – for example, right from diagnosis – sets a clearer pathway to better management across the lifespan, and in most cases could significantly limit further issues.”
