America
A diabetes-free world in next 50 years: Scientists
Washington, June 7
Although the way diabetics
test their glucose levels has gone through dramatic changes over the
past 50 years, there is still a long way to go, say researchers.
Earlier,
the only way to assess diabetes control was by testing for the presence
of sugar in a person's urine, today there are numerous, far more
accurate ways to test blood glucose levels.
It including the non-invasive A1C method which measures average blood glucose levels over a three-month period.
"This
gives us a nice marker for showing whether a person is on the right
road or not," said Fred Whitehouse, division head emeritus at the Henry
Ford Health System in Detroit.
There has been a lot of change, most of it for the better. But what people want is a cure and we don't have that yet, he added.
"Despite
the enormous growth in our understanding of diabetes and its
complications, we are still only able to manage the disease," noted
Robert Ratner, chief scientific and medical officer for the American
Diabetes Association.
The reason diabetes is a serious health problem is because of the complications.
"If
there were no complications, diabetes would be like hypothyroidism and
other easily managed diseases. You would take a tablet to replace the
hormone and everything would be fine," said Michael Brownlee from the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Diabetes Research Centre.
New
treatments must provide optimal glucose and metabolic control without
the risk of hypoglycemia and complications of diabetes should become
historical memories.
Also, every person with diabetes needs to create a system for remembering and dealing with his or her own treatment.
"The
next 50 years must elucidate the mechanisms by which both Type 1 and
Type 2 diabetes occur, along with those critical steps at which we might
intervene to prevent disease," the authors emphasised during a special
symposium held recently at the American Diabetes Association's 75th
scientific sessions.