Tackling diabetes as a progressive disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Diabetes is a progressive disease and new therapies are needed to modify its course.
Type 2 diabetes has been increasing in both incidence and prevalence, with cases appearing at a younger age - even in children. The projected figure for 2030 is 355 million cases, compared to 217 million in 2005. Diabetes is marked by its strong connection to abdominal obesity and its tendency to produce microvascular complications, including heart disease. "Diabetes has a long preclinical phase - about seven to ten years - which at least gives us an opportunity to do something about it," comments Dr Michaela Diamant, an endocrinologist at VU Medical Centre in The Netherlands. This is important, because diabetes is a devastating disease; 80 per cent of those affected are destined to die of heart problems.

"Diabetes is a complex and progressive disease in which the beta cells of the pancreas keep declining in their function of producing insulin. Present therapies only keep blood glucose under control - they just treat the symptoms," explains Dr Diamant. "We want to modify the disease course by stopping beta cell decline." Lifestyle measures, such as a healthy diet and exercise, can hold back the disease to a certain extent but there is still a need for better therapies which will slow progression of diabetes. One approach is based upon gut hormones such as GLP-1, a peptide in clinical trials, which is given by injection. GLP-1 can have a more radical effect on diabetes than current treatments. Another approach being tested is drugs which inhibit the enzymes that normally break down GLP-1; these could prolong the hormone's action in the body. All of this new research is good news for people with type 2 diabetes, because it could produce treatments that will boost their own lifestyle efforts in a much more effective way.

Source
World Ageing & Generations Congress 27th September 2006

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.