EarlyBird- et nytt medisinsk verktøy som kan diagnostisere senkomplikasjoner hos diabetespasienter

Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges the world has seen, and only in 2014 there were 4.9 million deaths due to diabetes. The main aspect that makes diabetes a serious and fatal disease is that it leads to vascular complications (angiopathy). The reason why diabetic patients develop complications is that they have an elevated sugar content in the blood for extended periods. This leads to angiophaty. Disease in the small blood vessels is called microangiopathy. This development is often insidious and leads to complications like blindness, kidney failure and foot ulcers. The biggest cost driver is clearly the diabetic complications such as kidney failure, blindness, foot ulcers and amputations. 612 billion US dollars were used on diabetes in 2014. Approximately 80% of this amount was used for treating complications of the disease. Countries with a well-functioning health system is expected to be the market with the largest potential for EarlyBird. Market scope of course depends on how good efficacy and ease of use that can be demonstrated. Estimated maximum market potential for Early Bird in the US and Europe is 14 billion NOK. Today there is no good method for diagnosing complications such as foot ulcers at a very early stage so that measures for preventing further development can be implemented. EarlyBird is a new diagnostic tool that makes this possible with a brand new technology.