| Wednesday, April 26, 2000 |
Chances are you know someone with diabetes, but it is also very likely that you don't have a solid idea about what that means. Diabetes affects millions of Americans, costing the economy approximately $105 billion each year. The causes for the disease are not known and the only known life support is insulin therapy. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, new adult blindness and amputation. It can strike at anytime to anybody. Peachtree City resident Fred Buttrell knows this and he, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, are trying to do something about it. March 29, Buttrell, a former Air Force fighter pilot, testified before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Buttrell and JDF are seeking support for $5 million in research funding to allow the Department of Defense to lead the effort to develop dual-use biosensor technology. The biosensor would benefit the military as well as the 16 million Americans with diabetes. Buttrell first learned he had the disease in 1993, approximately eight months after he returned from the Persian Gulf. He was in excellent physical condition, but started to exhibit what he later learned to be the classic symptoms of juvenile diabetes: extreme exhaustion, frequent urination, excessive thirst and weight loss. He went to the flight physicians and was told soon after that he had diabetes. He currently takes 50 units of insulin a day, taking four shots of three different insulin types. Since his diagnosis, he estimates taking more than 10,000 injections of insulin and pricking his finger six or seven times a day to monitor his blood glucose levels. A biosensor, if perfected, can non-invasively monitor the physiological status of an individual. In military situations, a biosensor could monitor metabolic products to determine health status, detect toxic exposure to biological and chemical hazards, accurately determine and deliver antidotes or drug treatments and deliver nutritional supplements. The civilian uses would also be tremendous, Buttrell says. For diabetes, a biosensor could closely monitor glucose levels to maintain health and avoid long term complications of the disease, he said, adding that it could also help determine the level of insulin that should be administered in an individual. It would significantly increase the quality of life and wellness in many diabetes patients, said Buttrell. It is not known how much his testimony has helped and if the government will act on it any time soon. The important thing for Buttrell to do was to draw attention to the need that is out there and the technology that exists that could help, he said. If you are interested in helping the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, phone 1-212-785-9500.
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