Could babies be the pillar to cling to for the purpose of research on diabetes? The answer is perhaps ‘yes’ as some Australian researchers have already kicked start a study that would be poring over 1600 babies who have relatives with Type-1 diabetes. The disease is expected to throw light on both genetic and environmental factors shrouding the disease.
The Study
It’s a project that would encompass a time period of three years. The study is being dubbed as an endeavor to scour through the ways to prevent the inception of the disease. The disease presently plagues Australia as more than 122,000 Australians are caught in its clutches.
Fleshing out the details, the researchers have said that the trial will assess whether Type-1 diabetes is triggered by a virus or diet.
Kim Bush’s Story
One of the stories that we heard from the researchers included the name of Kim Bush, who was diagnosed with Type-I diabetes when she was 14. Shedding light on the crafted destiny of hers’, she stated that since the day her ears heard the news she’s been enduring five injections per day, an inch of frustration and loops of tears. But now she is accustomed to it and has ventured on a ride to increase her scientific knowledge about the repercussions of the auto-immune disease, which triggers the insulin production.
Her husband has joined hands with her on this journey. The couple desires to know whether its boys would also be affected by the disease in future. Not only this, they would also like to know whether their children’s children will stay under the same cloud of uncertainty. So, Kim Bush’s 13-year-old son Jordan is part of the three-year trial, and has been tested for the disease since his birth. Even the couple’s 10-month-old brother Zach has become part of the new study.
Doctors in Perth find a Way to Prevent Life-Threatening Seizures
In another part of the country, in Perth, doctors have discovered a method to prevent some life-threatening seizures and comas suffered from type 1 diabetes. According to Professor Tim Jones from Princess Margaret Hospital, a team of experts has studied an artificial “pancreas-like” pump that prevents the inflow of insulin in diabetes patients.
Patients suffering from diabetes may enter into fatal coma if their body comes across low blood-sugar levels. The newly developed pump can recognize when this state arrives, and if it discovers the same it suspends the supply of insulin.
In order to come to the conclusion, Professor Tim Jones from the Endocrinology Department at Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital studied 95 children with type 1 diabetes who were tagged to be at a high risk of hypoglycaemia. After touching the turf of conclusion, the researchers discovered how the pump could prevent such seizures in case of hypoglycaemia.
There is usually a lot of enigma attached to the attack as patients fail to understand the symptoms, and at times there are no warning signs as well. So, a pump like this can be termed as a savior for the patients.
The research funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has emphasized that the study could be a huge step in treating Australians with the disease.
It appears that the disease has caught the eyes of the researchers in Australia. But even they believe that the kaleidoscope of diabetes has many angles to it, and so they have to be studied one by one.
The Medguru team hopes that the information would have enlightened you on the research carried in the direction of diabetes. For any queries, you can post a comment in the comment box.
