West German Diabetes Centre, Düsseldorf

The West German Centre for Diabetes and Health in Düsseldorf (WDGZ), headed by Prof. Dr. med. Stephan Martin, offers patients a broad range of services for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus, including regular preventive check-ups, telemedicine systems for ongoing monitoring and behavioural therapy. The West German Centre for Diabetes and Health in Düsseldorf runs patient education programmes and training courses covering the management of concomitant conditions, blood glucose measurement technique and insulin injection technique. The centre's specialists provide training for patients with hypoglycaemia, advise pregnant women with diabetes, teach patients how to use insulin pumps and offer nutritional counselling.

Diabetes treatment

The West German Centre for Diabetes and Health provides long-term monitoring and treatment as well as extended consultations covering every question related to diabetes mellitus. The consultations also address non-drug treatment options. When the disease is diagnosed in good time, it is sometimes even possible to push the early (insulin-dependent) stage of type 2 diabetes back to a prediabetic state.

Insulin therapy

If insulin therapy does become necessary, patients of the West German Centre for Diabetes and Health have access to all modern insulin preparations as well as insulin pumps. Blood glucose is checked both by conventional self-measurement and through long-term glucose monitoring over 72 hours. Electronic telemedicine systems for ongoing monitoring are used to determine the scope of intensive insulin therapy.

Diabetic neuropathy

One of the dangerous complications of diabetes mellitus is diabetic polyneuropathy. In this condition the nerves are damaged, which is accompanied by numbness, a burning sensation or pain in the limbs. Diabetic polyneuropathy is treated with high-tone therapy, a special form of electrical muscle stimulation.

An innovative diabetes control programme ─ TeliPro

If patients have no good specialists close to home to supervise their treatment, an innovative approach such as telemedicine — remote consultations using internet technology — can help them. The centre's doctors either hand the patient a special device that looks very much like a mobile phone or post it to them. In this way the patient is enrolled in the treatment programme. By following simple recommendations, patients achieve striking results within just a month. Some become completely free of insulin dependence.
The effectiveness of the programme has been proven scientifically. In 2013 alone, more than 5000 people used it successfully. The method combines four components – telemedicine, diet, motivation and a balanced nutrition system.
The device has a “pedometer” app and measures the patient's blood pressure. Its owner has to weigh themselves every day, measure their blood sugar level and enter these data into the device. A special SIM card built into the device sends the readings for all four parameters daily to the monitoring desk of the diabetes centre in Düsseldorf, where doctors analyse the patient's condition, send them recommendations and adjust their treatment programme, including insulin dosages.