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I attended the 2009 ADA Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. I was both discouraged and encouraged by what I heard about the state of diabetes prevention. Many different treatments have shown great promise in slowing down the rate of beta cell loss (where insulin comes from), but none have been “home runs” so far in people. The general theme that I walked away with was that researchers are focusing more on combining treatment protocols to see if the sum will be greater than the individual parts. But to be able to test these treatments, more diabetes prone individuals need to be identified.

At camp, many of you met with representatives of the Diabetes TrialNet study. These folks collected a small amount of blood to analyze for antibodies to the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Each year they find a few positive results in otherwise asymptomatic adults and children. It is important to note that there is a peak of type 1 diabetes being seen in toddlers and small children. But there is another “bump” for persons in the 35-45 year age range. Yes, mom and dad are still at risk for developing type 1 diabetes. So consider getting the rest of the family screened. With TrialNet, screening costs are free. If you happen to be antibody positive, you may be eligible for some exciting new treatments that will attempt to prevent further progression of loss of your insulin producing tissues.

Last 5 posts by Steve

• Halloween and Diabetes CAN mix! - October 5th, 2009
• Introducing Healthy Families of South Texas - October 5th, 2009
• Complications 101 - About Kidney Failure - August 23rd, 2009
• The Sleep Bolus - August 18th, 2009
• The Dirty Truth Behind DCCT - August 16th, 2009

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 12:14 pm and is filed under TLC 2009, type 1. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.