In-Flight Pressure Changes Could Put Diabetics At Risk

Tue, 23 Aug 2011

A new study has revealed that changes in cabin pressure during flights could affect people with severe diabetes.

Researchers at John Hunter Children's Hospital in Newcastle, Australia, carried out the study after learning of cases of type 1 diabetics suffering from low blood sugar during flights, despite using insulin pumps which are designed to deliver insulin throughout the day.

After placing ten insulin pumps on a commercial flight, they found that during takeoff - when air pressure was decreasing - the pumps delivered about 1 to 1.4 extra units of insulin on average.

During descent, when pressure was increasing, some insulin was sucked back into the pumps, causing them to give out too little insulin, by less than 1 unit.

"Atmospheric pressure reduction causes predictable, unintended insulin delivery in pumps by bubble formation and expansion of existing bubbles," lead research Bruce King explained.

King and his team recommended that diabetics disconnect the pump before takeoff and landing and ensure there are no air bubbles in the insulin before reconnecting it.

However, other diabetes experts said the insulin pump issue was infrequent and unlikely to cause problems for most diabetics .

Robert Cohen, an endocrinologist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, commented: "The people who are very sensitive to small changes in doses are the ones who are going to be most sensitive to this. People who are on large doses or are not very sensitive...are far less likely to be affected by this."

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