Diabetes News
Week of June 11, 2000 |
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The Eyes Have It
People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing eye
problems than the general public, yet many do
not get their eyes examined on a regular basis. Early detection
of eye problems may help stop them from being blindsided, so a
new initiative is promoting regular eye examinations for
people with diabetes.
The campaign is backed by the The Health Care Financing
Administration, and involves the National Eye Care Project,
which is a branch of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The
National Eye Care Project will match Medicare clients with
an ophthalmologist who will give the person a comprehensive eye
exam as well as follow-up treatment if needed. The person
receiving care will not pay for this at all.
People who qualify for the program must have Medicare, be 65
or older, and not have had an eye exam in the last three years.
Those who qualify may also receive transportation to their eye
appointments. To find out more information about the program,
please call 1-800-222-EYES.
People who have Medicare and also have diabetes may receive
an eye exam through the American Optometric Association. The
program is similar to the one offered by the National Eye Care
Project. To find out more, call the American Optometric
Association's Diabetes Hot Line at 1-800-262-3947.
According to a recent report, those who have diabetes and
drive delivery trucks may be at an increased risk for crashing
than those who do not have diabetes.
A study conducted at the University of Montreal and published
in a recent issue of Diabetes Care (23: pgs 612-617, 2000) yielded some surprising
results. Currently, both the US and Canada have strict
commercial vehicle laws for those who have diabetes and require
daily insulin injections. However, the Canadian study showed
that those with Type 2 who are not insulin-dependent actually
have a much higher risk of crashing than those with Type 1.
The study involved 3,500 truck drivers in Canada, and showed
that people with Type 2 were 76% more likely than people without
diabetes to have had a crash in a four year period. Of the 62
participants with Type 1, there was no higher risk of crashing
than the general population in the study.
Researchers stated that those with the higher crash rate were
drivers of smaller delivery trucks, whose jobs entailed many
stops to load and unload. This increase in exercise (as compared
to long-distance drivers of tractor trailers) may be responsible
for lower blood sugars which impair judgment, leading to
accidents. Researchers encourage people with diabetes to
communicate with their doctors about the work they do, so that
an appropriate treatment plan may be created.
Child-Centered Diabetes Program
For children who have been diagnosed with diabetes, the news
is often met with fear and confusion. A new educational program
designed by the American
Diabetes Association hopes to quell kids' fears and
promote understanding of the disease.
The program is in four parts, and is known as "Wizdom."
It features a "diabetes wizard" who helps a boy
understand and control his diabetes. The kit contains books for
the child with diabetes and his/her parents, as well as games,
food samples, recipe cards, stickers, and more. The kits can be
obtained through the American Diabetes Association after
receiving a referral from a diabetes health care provider. Part
of the American Diabetes Association's webpage will also be
aimed at educating kids, in conjunction with the "Wizdom"
material.
Islet Transplant Study Expanded
In a recent issue of this newsletter, we featured an article
about Dr. James Shapiro's work on islet transplants at the
University of Alberta. In the study there, eight participants
had successfully undergone the islet cell transplant procedure,
and all had remained free of the need for daily injections of
insulin for 14 months. Recently, the US National Institute of
Health and the Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation announced that they will fund the
continuation of this study at eight centers in North America and
Europe through the Immune
Tolerance Network.
The Immune Tolerance Network will select and announce the
participating centers over the next few months. The Network will
also provide the centers with support for additional studies in
the hopes that they will create a greater understanding of the
immunologic mechanisms involved after transplantation occurs.
Diabetes-- Fun And Games?
For many people with diabetes, the information about
controlling and living with the disease can seem overwhelming.
One company set out to make diabetes education stress-free and
even fun.
The medical education company Tracey Associates has created
the game Learning About Diabetes: A Game for Healthy Living. The
board game includes 1,000 questions and answers developed by
certified diabetes educators, registered dietitians, and other
health care professionals. For more information, contact the
company at Tracey Associates, L.L.C., 1200 Route 22 East, Suite
2000, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
For people with diabetes who find it difficult and painful to
give themselves daily injections of insulin, a recent
development provides some hope.
Scientists in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology,
Physiology and Biotechnology at Brown University have
successfully encapsulated zinc insulin. The insulin is released
and absorbed in the gut from nanospheres released by the capsule over a period of six hours.
The capsule is still in the study phase, and has not been tested
on people with diabetes yet. One disadvantage to this approach
is that it requires nine times the amount of insulin as an
equivalent injection.
High Blood Pressure Lowered With Supplement
One of the many complications that can arise with diabetes is
high blood pressure. Scientists have recently tested a dietary
supplement of the potent antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid on rats to determine its ability
to lower blood pressure.
Researchers at the Department of Medicine in the Health
Sciences Centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland used rats
which were bred to be hypertensive. The rats were divided into a
control group and a group which was given alpha-lipoic acid.
After nine weeks, rats in the second group had much lower blood
pressure, as well as lower blood glucose and insulin levels. The
alpha-lipoic acid has also shown promise in the treatment of
painful diabetic neuropathy. (J Hypertens May, 2000;
18(5): pgs. 567-73)
Antioxidant Treatment Successful
In Mice
Recently, antioxidants have received a lot of press as far as
their possible benefits in decreasing blood sugars. A recent
study on mice seems to confirm this idea.
The study was conducted by the Department of Internal
Medicine and Therapeutics, at the Osaka University Graduate
School of Medicine in Suita, Japan. Researchers studied the
effects of injecting the antioxidants N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC),
vitamins C plus E, or both, into mice with diabetes.
Throughout the course of the 16-week study, researchers found
that mice that received NAC were able to retain more of their
normal glucose-stimulated insulin
secretion. Blood glucose levels were also lower. Mice that were treated with Vitamins C and E had no change in
their blood glucose levels, although a combination of NAC and
Vitamins C and E was slightly effective. (Diabetes Dec,
1999; 48(12): pgs. 2398-406)
Fight Diabetes With Plants?
A novel concept in the effort to cure diabetes may be
to incorporate certain plants.
In a recent study by the Department of Biology in Agadir,
Morocco, and published in Therapie (Nov-Dec, 1999; 54(6): pgs.
711-5), scientists studied the
hypoglycemic effects of the plants Globularia alypum and
Zygophyllum gaetulum. Injections into rats with normal as well
as high blood sugar levels resulted in significant decreases in
the blood sugar levels. The plants appear to work through both
an increase in insulin levels and a increase in the use of
glucose by muscle and fat cells. It is not yet known if these
plants will lead to an acceptable therapy in humans.
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