MAY - 20238In My OpinionTHE NEED FOR ADVANCED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGYJanna Parks, Sr. Director, Customer Quality & Compliance, Abbott [NYSE:ABT]ByDiabetes is a chronic condition affecting how the body processes food for energy. Specifically, as the foods we eat are broken down into sugar (or glucose), the body generates insulin. This insulin helps sugar move from the bloodstream into the cells to be used for energy. If there is not enough insulin, the sugar stays in the bloodstream, which can have adverse effects on our health.Since the first historical mention of diabetes in around 1500 B.C., managing diabetes care has evolved. In the 1920s, the availability of insulin was lauded as one of the greatest medical advancements for any disease. Without insulin, a diabetes diagnosis meant death within a few short years. Although a diabetes diagnosis today is not as feared as it once was, it remains a profoundly severe disease. Conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and even vision loss can result from elevated blood sugar levels associated with diabetes.Approximately 1 in 10 adults worldwide are living with diabetes, and those numbers are projected by some organizations to continue increasing at a rate of 20 percent by 2030. This means over six hundred million adults will be faced with managing diabetes care in their daily lives by the end of the decade. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, where the body stops making insulin; Type 2, where the body still produces insulin but struggles to maintain blood sugar levels; and gestational diabetes, which tends to go away after pregnancy.Technological advances Janna Parks
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