American Diabetes Association Takes An Ostrich Approach to Brittle Diabetes

EAST NORWICH, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brittle Diabetes Foundation (BDF), recognized by the NIH as supporting this rare disease, believes the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is taking an ostrich, head in the sand, approach to the existence of Brittle Type 1 Diabetes (BT1D). In computer science, the term Ostrich Approach is employed when it is more cost effective to allow the problem to occur than to attempt to find a solution. Bury your head and ignore the problem because it impacts so few and costs too much money, time and resources to resolve. Such is the conclusion BDF draws when the ADA omits the existence of a recognized rare disease BT1D or the term brittleness in its 2017 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.

Despite clinical trials being run and funded by the NIH for the cure of BT1D;  despite over a 1000 articles most in recognized medical research journals on the subject of BT1D; despite the thousands of physicians in this country that have diagnosed their patients as suffering with BT1D; the ADA continues to ignore this rare disease's existence. Not only does the ADA do a disservice to BT1D patients but suggests, by omission, that the BT1D research being performed, bears no merit.

Isn't it about time that the ADA live up to their mission statement to "improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes"? Isn't it time for the members of the medical community and researchers in this field to end their silence and become a collective voice for BT1D diagnosed patients who continue to be ignored?   Is this apparent lack of caring because BT1D impacts only an estimated 4,500 out of 318 million Americans – another rare disease that remains invisible to the medical community, governments and the public?

The fact that this disease impacts women more often than men should be of interest to women's groups and to magazines catering to women's needs.  

Brittle Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by brittleness, an unstable, uncontrollable and unpredictable rapid shift in blood glucose levels. Often marked by  hypoglycemic (low sugar) and/or hyperglycemic (high sugar) events whose symptoms disrupt quality of life on a daily basis, requiring visits to the ER or prolonged hospitalizations. Daily disease symptoms include: shakes, sweats, blurred vision, loss of cognitive function, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting etc., leading to major life threatening complications.

The ADA has turned a deaf ear to recommendations made by BDF to assist physicians with difficult BT1D cases by establishing regional advisory panels of research experts and reducing the five-year gap in information flow that exists between basic researchers and the clinical practitioner.

Future BDF releases will address this Lack of Information Flow, Diabetes Prevention and Cure or Lack Thereof, Need for Targeting Donor Funds and the Global Business of Diabetes.  

Contact Information-

Manny Sorge Ph.D.
President/BDF
917-355-3486
[email protected] 
www.bdtype1.com

SOURCE Brittle Diabetes Foundation

Related Links

http://www.bdtype1.com