Artificial pancreas in pregnancy promises fewer diabetes deaths

Cambridge research funded by the health charity Diabetes UK has for the first time successfully demonstrated the potential of an artificial pancreas in pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes. It is hoped the development could drastically reduce cases of stillbirth and mortality rates among pregnant women with the condition. Pregnancy poses additional risks for women with diabetes as hormonal changes make it very difficult to keep blood glucose levels within a safe range, and especially at night. Babies of women with diabetes are five times as likely to be stillborn, three times as likely to die in their first months of life and twice as likely to have a major deformity. Two in three mothers with pre-existing diabetes have Type 1 diabetes. Hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels) in pregnancy is also a major cause of maternal mortality. Published in the February issue of Diabetes Care and led by Dr Helen Murphy of the University of Cambridge's Department of Clinical Biochemistry in collaboration with Dr Roman Hovorka's group at the Institute of Metabolic Science, the study evaluated the performance of an artificial pancreas or 'closed-loop insulin delivery system' in ten pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes.