Word: insulin
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...sign that an autoimmune attack has begun is the appearance in the bloodstream of antibodies to the pancreatic cells and, later, to insulin itself. For nine years a Joslin Center research team led by immunologist Dr. George Eisenbarth has been tracking the appearance of these antibodies in 10,000 close relatives of Type I diabetics. It is now possible for the Joslin team to predict which otherwise symptomless relatives are likely to develop the disease in three years' time. Last May the Joslin and two other medical centers launched a program to treat identified potential diabetics with an antirejection drug...
...Hettler, have the Type II form of the disease. Paradoxically, the fact that Type II diabetes is less severe has made it more difficult to handle. Until recently, many physicians believed Type II was largely innocuous and counseled patients not to worry. True, many Type II diabetics never require insulin and get by on pills that stimulate the pancreas to produce the hormone. Over time, however, they develop the same terrible complications as their Type I counterparts. University of Michigan's Dr. Stefan Fajans vividly remembers the autoworker he diagnosed with Type II diabetes at age 41. Twenty years later...
...those who develop Type II diabetes are obese. The tendency of obesity to increase with age largely explains why this disease attacks predominantly people over the age of 40. In obese people, cells quickly become sated and sluggish. They reduce their sensitivity to insulin and, thus, their appetite for glucose. To compensate, the pancreas heroically pumps out more and more insulin. Usually it is able to keep up with the work load. As Dr. Jeffrey Flier, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Hospital, emphasizes, "Most obese people do not have diabetes." In susceptible individuals, however, obesity can overload the system...
...Antonio, one person in five has diabetes. The complications experienced by Hispanic diabetics are severe, yet many cannot afford the equipment that would enable them to keep track of their blood sugar. Often they are so badly informed about their disease that they skrimp on the oral medication or insulin shots they need to keep blood glucose in the normal range. In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, a large health-promotion project, A Su Salud, has begun to spread the word about diabetes on Spanish-language radio and television...
...insidious, often overlooked killer, high blood sugar affects some 100 million people worldwide. Insulin injections, pills or special diets allow many of them to have normal life-spans, but they may develop eye, nerve and circulatory damage. In the not too distant future, drug treatments and vaccines may stop the affliction cold or block its onset...