Summary
Despite the introduction of new therapeutic aids such as insulin pumps and injectors,
blood glucose test tapes, particular insulin formulations, and the physiological basis-bolus
principle of insulin dosage regimes, the metabolic care of most insulin-dependent
patients is still insufficient. One potential tool of further improving the results
in diabetes treatment consists in the application of computer-aided procedures to
estimate individually optimal regimes. Employing a validated mathematical model of
the glucose/insulin metabolic control system and individual sets of data from patients'
self-monitoring, a software package was developed on a micro-computer which allowed
both the retrospective analysis of data resulting from the therapeutic process, and
the prospective simulation of the outcome of alterations in the regime in terms of
glycaemia and insulinaemia. The two parts of the programme provide either for the
patient or for the physician an interactive mode of working with the computer. The
system is now being validated by means of a long-term follow-up study in type-I diabetic
patients. It may be used mainly in diabetic outpatient centers and as a tool of educating,
training, and motivating patients.
Key words
Computer-aided simulation - Insulin therapy - Diabetes management - Physiological
model - Data processing
