<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> It has previously been discussed on our list that a far higher proportion of those with CD develop juvenile diabetes compared with the general population. There is now a free NIH-sponsored diabetes screening trial going on. If you live in America and have a first or second degree relative with juvenile diabetes, you can be tested for free by calling (800) 425-8361. The purpose of the test is to determine if those without diabetes (but with certain blood antibodies indicating that diabetes is likely to develop) can delay or avoid diabetes through very small doses of insulin. The following press release discusses early results of this study Bill Elkus Los Angeles, CA ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 10 Jun 95 18:30:08 PDT From: Reuter / Mike Cooper <[log in to unmask]> Newgroups: clari.tw.health Subject: Insulin may prevent, not just treat diabetes ATLANTA (Reuter) - Preliminary studies indicate that insulin can delay the development of insulin-dependent diabetes in people who are at high risk of the disease, researchers said Saturday. A large-scale study is now underway to determine how often and for how long oral or injected insulin can delay the onset of Type I diabetes, which occurs most often in children and young adults. Symptoms of Type I diabetes are similar to those of influenza in children. The disease, which is usually diagnosed before age 30, is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Dr. George Eisenbarth, executive director of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diseases, said the clinical trial seeks to duplicate the success that has been shown in small-scale research. At the University of Florida College of Medicine, a three-year study showed encouraging results. ``Of the 32 subjects, five have developed diabetes,'' said Dr. Desmond Schatz, an associate professor of pediatrics at the university. The researchers discussed their efforts at a scientific meeting of the American Diabetes Association, which estimates that Type I diabetes affects 700,000 people in the United States. More than 13 million Americans have Type II diabetes, which generally develops later in life. ``If I was going to guess what's going to happen, I hope that we prevent more than 50 percent (of Type I diabetes cases) over five years, delay things five to ten years,'' said Eisenbarth. ``And there will be a subset who perhaps won't ever develop diabetes, but we won't know that for a very long time.'' He said that if insulin treatment can delay the onset of diabetes for five years, ``that's a tremendous time in the lifetime of a child.'' Eisenbarth added that researchers may soon be able to develop a vaccine against diabetes. ``It's certainly something we can now do in animal models,'' he said. ``One can take target antigens, give it to a young mouse that would normally develop diabetes, and prevent the disease.'' For the Diabetes Prevention Trial, researchers are seeking at least 60,000 people nationwide between the ages of 3 and 45 who have a relative with Type I diabetes. They can receive free blood testing regardless of whether or not they participate in the study. More than 24,000 people have already been screened for the clinical trial, Schatz said. Some of the study's participants will be given insulin orally or by injection, depending on their assessed risk of developing diabetes. Researchers can identify genetic markers with a blood test to tell if someone is at a greater risk for diabetes than the general population. Study results, which are not expected until the year 2000, could lead to advances in treating other diseases where the body destroys its own healthy tissue. ``Very similar therapies...are likely to be utilized and considered for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as for Type I diabetes and other endocrinoid immune diseases,'' Eisenbarth said.