- Afflicts 11
million Americans.
- Is the third
leading cause of death by disease.
- Doubles the
risk of heart attack or stroke.
- Is the leading
cause of new blindness for people under 65.
- Is developed
by 600,000 people each year, with 34,000 deaths directly
due to diabetes and 260,000 deaths due to the complications
of diabetes
PROGRESS
IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
Diabetes is a
disease caused by the body failing to produce or effectively
use an adequate daily amount of a crucial hormone&emdash;insulin.
One form of diabetes, if not treated, can kill its victims
within one year. Another form may go undetected for years.
Even with treatment, complications including blindness, kidney
failure, loss of limbs, heart disease, or stroke often occur.
How has animal
research helped diabetics? Until the 1920's, there was no
hope for diabetics. Then, scientists studying dogs discovered
insulin and its value in treating diabetes. Until production
of large quantities of insulin from cows and pigs occurred,
diabetics were treated with insulin prepared from dog pancreas.
Do
diabetics still need animal research?
Today millions
of diabetics have been given the gift of life through insulin
therapy. But insulin isn't a cure. Complications often occur,
especially in children, for whom diabetes is the most common
chronic disease. There are two potential cures for many patients
with diabetes: a pancreas transplant or implanting an artificial
pancreas. However, our best hope for now is continued research
using animals to understand how insulin works. Studies are
underway at Henry Ford Hospital, Michigan State University,
and the University of Michigan using dogs, rats, and other
animals to understand diabetes and the role insulin plays,
and to develop better treatment. Dogs, because of their closer
similarity in size to humans, are particularly important for
transplant studies. Pancreas transplants, which are now being
performed in Michigan, offer patients dying from the deleterious
effects of diabetes their only chance for survival.
What
is the future for diabetics?
Animal research
remains a critical factor to understanding diabetes. If research
stopped, the cost in human suffering would be enormous. So,
too, would be the financial burden to society, since the current
cost of diabetes care in this country is estimated to be $10
billion a year. Both the cost and suffering will be dramatically
reduced when a cure for diabetes is found.
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