Diabetes in the News

Welcome to “Diabetes in the News”. This feature has links to diabetes related news stories, blogs, or websites. If you come upon a story, blog or website that I haven’t mentioned, e-mail me at jmp5329 at yahoo.com. I will check it out and if posted, give credit where credit is due.

Threefold Risk of MS From Type-1 Diabetes
Patients with type-1 diabetes have a threefold increased risk of developing MS, according to a Danish study.

This contradicts previous research which found that the genetic configurations underpinning the two autoimmune disorders were mutually exclusive, suggesting that type-1 diabetes and MS should therefore not co-occur.

The researchers used data from two population-based registers of patients in Denmark to see whether type-1 diabetes and MS did co- occur, and to what extent.

Using a national hospitalisation register, they identified 6,078 patients diagnosed with type-1 diabetes in 1977.

They then searched for these patients in a national register of 11,862 MS patients to see if any of them went on to develop MS over the following 20 years.  Source

Early Insulin Use Helps Control
Intensive insulin therapy may be the treatment of choice if your’ve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Research indicates that early use of multiple daily insulin injections appears to quickly control blood glucose, correct elevated cholesterol, and decrease insulin resistance.  Sixteen patients who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and had A1C readings higher than 8.5% received insulin therapy for an average of 11 weeks.  Once their A1C levels dropped below 7%, they either stopped taking insulin or switched to oral medication but continued to follow their diet and exercise programs.  After 17 months, the participants’ average A1C level was in lower - 5.9%. 

Note from Jo: This research validates my choice of going on insulin 10 months into my treatment where the results were less than fantastic with just oral meds, diet and exercise.

Sources: Diabetic Living from Better Homes and Garden and American Diabetes Assocation

Living With Diabetes
Everyone living with diabetes has experienced the curious questions from well-meaning, but uninformed, onlookers who might be taken aback by a hypodermic needle, a pump, or a blood glucose kit. “Diabetic Encounters of the First Kind,” an article in the August 2006 issue of Diabetes Health Magazine, takes a humorous look at these interesting encounters.

“There is an epidemic of diabetes in this country, and there is also an epidemic of ignorance when it comes to diabetes,” says writer Jonathon Thorn, who gives an insider’s perspective on what it is like to field onlookers’ queries about various diabetes-management activities, from “Are You Allowed to Eat That?” to “Can I Watch You Take a Shot?”  Source

Joslin Diabetes Center Awards Victory Medal to New York Man Living 75 Years with Type 1 Diabetes
BOSTON — August 9, 2006 — Joslin Diabetes Center, the global leader in diabetes research, care and education, will present its 22nd Joslin Victory Award Medal this Sunday, Aug. 13, to a New York man for living 75 years with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Robert L. Bates of New Windsor, NY, will be awarded the medal at his 80th birthday celebration at the Thayer Hotel at West Point, NY. The hotel coincidentally is commemorating its 80th anniversary.  Source

And from the STUPID file:

MP sorry for ‘inbreeding’ remarks
A Labour MP has apologised after saying inbreeding may be partly to blame for a rise in cases of diabetes in his Norfolk constituency.

Family relationships could have led to a sharing of a gene linked to the condition, suggested former science lecturer Ian Gibson.

A consultant at a local hospital said the remarks were “disgraceful”.

That prompted an apology from Dr Gibson, who said he had never meant to cause any offence.  Source

Linked @: Basil’s Blog; Mark My Words; Outside the Beltway Traffic Jam