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One
Page Summary
Diabetes
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting the body’s ability to make or use insulin. Insulin is the hormone that transports glucose from digested nutrients into the body’s cells for energy and growth.
There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin and it is referred to as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). People with type 1 diabetes must use insulin injections to control their blood sugar. In type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin but is unable to process it and/or use it correctly. Type 2 is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), can be controlled by diet and exercise in most cases.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system destroys the insulin producing b cells of the pancreas. Without insulin, the body cannot regulate the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
Statistics
-
The
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 135 million people
suffer from diabetes worldwide and this number will rise to 300
million by the year 2025.
-
DM
and its complications are the
leading causes of death in the United States.
-
People
with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer from
cardiovascular disease or from a stroke (JDF).
-
Renal
failure and diabetic retinopathy, often resulting in blindness, are
also frequent complications.
-
Diabetes
is costly. U.S.health expenditures for diabetics are estimated at $98 billion
as of May 1998 (JDF).
Current
research at DLS
Diagnosing
Diabetes
To
better diagnose and manage type 1 diabetes, DLS is using dried blood spots
as
matrices for field studies and developing remote monitoring technology.
Genetic
Testing
DLS is researching genes involved in susceptibility and protection to type 1
diabetes through state-of-the-art molecular
techniques. The genes
involved in renal disease of type 1 diabetics are also being studied in
detail.
Autoantibody
Standardization
Samples are monitored for three crucial antibodies that the body will produce when eliciting an immune response to non-foreign cells. Early detection of these antibodies is valuable, as the patient will most likely develop type 1 diabetes if all three are detected.
Glucometer
Standardization Project
CDC has more than 30 years experience in standardizing various
laboratory procedures of clinical interest. DLS
is now trying to develop reference materials and methods to
assist manufacturers with properly calibrating portable glucose meters.
Proteins
and How They Affect Diabetics
Glycolsolation of proteins, such as hemoglobin A1C, can be detrimental to internal organs of diabetics.
Research is under way to better understand these processes so they
can eventually be prevented.
New
Technologies
Research
and development are under way to develop an accurate and
efficient, noninvasive or minimally invasive, nocturnal hypoglycemia
monitor. CDC has awarded three grants totaling $700,000 for the development of these devices.
SpectRx
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Important
Links to Learn More About Diabetes
CDC's Diabetes and Public Health Resource
National
Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disorders
Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation
American
Diabetes Association
Barbara
Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes
JOSLIN
Diabetes Center
National
Diabetes Laboratory
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