DDI and Diabetic Neuropathy
DDI (Diabetics Detection, Inc.) has developed advanced technology that provides physicians with a new way to detect diabetic neuropathy — a condition in which the extremities lose sensation and become more susceptible to ulceration and infection.
This complication ultimately impacts an estimated one-half of all diabetic patients. But diagnosing diabetic neuropathy in its early stages can help reduce amputations resulting from infections in diabetes patients.
In the past, healthcare professionals relied on cumbersome (and often inaccurate) tuning forks to detect diabetic neuropathy. By sending vibrations into a patient’s extremities, a physician was able to determine if the patient could sense the vibrations.
DDI Technology
The founders of DDI have created a device that integrates with cell phones, pagers and PDAs — which many physicians already carry — to detect and monitor neuropathy. DDI’s Vibrameter allows a health care professional to perform a quick and accurate test to determine diabetic neuropathy in patients. The DDI device produces instant results, allowing the health care professional to refer the subject for further diagnostic evaluation, thereby assisting in the early detection of diabetes.
Diabetic Neuropathy: What You Need to Know
The highest rates of diabetic neuropathy occur in individuals who have had diabetes for 25 years or more. Diabetic neuropathy also appears to be more common in people who have had problems controlling their blood glucose levels, in those with high levels of blood fat and blood pressure, in overweight people, and in people over the age of 40. The most common type is peripheral neuropathy, also called distal symmetric neuropathy, which affects the arms and legs.
The best thing you can do to prevent diabetic neuropathy is to work with your doctor to keep your blood glucose under tight control. And because injuries and sores on the feet may go unrecognized due to lack of sensation, it’s important to examine your feet and legs daily, and wear properly fitting footwear all the time to prevent foot injury.
Tags: ddi, ddi and neuropathy, Diabetics Detection
