from MedPage - Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

MUNICH – Commercial airline pilots flying withinsulin-controlled diabetes had no incidents of medical incapacitation in more than 18 months of study, researchers reported here.

Of the 26 insulin-treated pilots flying planes under the U.K. flag, a total of 8,897 blood glucose monitoring values had been recorded during 4,900 flight hours with more than 96% of the cockpit glucose monitoring readings indicating pilots with diabetes were in the "Green Zone" for safety, reported Julia Hine, MD, of the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, England.

In a presentation at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Hine said that for short and medium haul flights -- those of less than 6 hours duration -- 96% of 7,829 blood glucose monitoring readings were within the safe range. For long haul flights, 97% of 1,068 readings were within that "green" range.

The entire article is avail able here.