The history of diabetology is a success story – diagnostics and therapy have made significant progress in the last six decades.
“Just over 100 years ago, people died of diabetes mellitus because there was no therapy to stabilize glucose metabolism. When the DDG was founded in Germany, it had only just been discovered that type 1 diabetes was an autoimmune disease. And it wasn’t until 15 years later that self-monitoring of blood sugar and the possibility for people with diabetes to adjust their insulin dose to the current blood sugar and amount of carbohydrates were introduced. This significantly liberalized diabetes therapy, which was characterized by bans,” says DDG President Professor Dr. med. Andreas Fritsche from the University Hospital of Tübingen.
“Today, thanks to technical developments in diabetes therapy, there are continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps that further improve the everyday lives of people with diabetes. Thanks to advances in basic research, patients can also hope for further innovations in the future.” The life expectancy of those affected has also increased significantly due to new technologies and better diagnostics and therapy.
The DDG has accompanied this continuous development since 1964, both professionally and in terms of health policy. “Through their research successes, many members of the specialist society have contributed to diabetology advancing worldwide and contributing to a better quality of life for diabetes patients,” says Fritsche.