SOUTH SEFTON DIABETES GROUP

Diabetes Research

1 in 300 people have Type I diabetes, this has doubled in the lsat 25 years. It is more common in Europe, and rarer in Japan.
In Type I diabetes, the body's own immune system attacks the beta-cells in the pancreas. This destroys the Islets of Langerhans
Type I diabetes is inherited, and is caused by a trigger from the environment (eg chemical substance).
Children born to people with Type I diabetes have a 1:40 chance of getting it. Identical twins have a 1:3 chance of getting it, other siblings have a 1:20 chance.

New and experimental treatments include:

• Artificial pancreas - very expensive and bulky.
• Encapsulate the Islets of Langerhans - inject a partially permeable membrane.
• Persuade other cells to make insulin - very experimental stage.
• Pancreas transplants - it is major surgery, you need anti-rejection drugs which have side-effects.
• Islet regeneration - it occurs in animals, but how to prevent the destruction of new Islets

100 million people worldwide have Type II diabetes, there are 1.2 million people in the UK.
5% of the healhxare spending is on diabetes (most of which is on Type II).
Insuline resistence is made worse by obesity and physical inactivity.

New treatments include:

• Increasing insulin secretion
• Insulin sensitisers.
• Increase weight loss.

You can only predict if you have diabetes if you have a close relative who has diabetes. About 90% of the tests are accurate, if there is a strong family history. Only 1:20 people newly diagnosed with Type I diabetes have a close relative with diabetes.