Diabetes 1 Prevention

Diabetes 1 is a lethal type of diabetes if it left untreated, the patient is very depends on insulin. Until now, the exact cause of diabetes 1 is still unknown, but the doctors believe that there is connection with immunological origin.

There are many ways to avoid diabetes 1, such as:

Immunization

Diabetes type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. If a biochemical mechanism can be found that prevents the immune system from attacking beta cells, it may suggested to prevent or even stop the commencement of diabetes 1.

Several doctors try to make this into reality by causing the activation state of the immune system to change from Th1 state (“attack” by killer T Cells) to Th2 state (development of new antibodies).

BCG research

Dr. Denise Faustman, has theory by giving a cheap drugs that used to treat people with Mycobacterium tuberculosis called Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), would have the same effect to people with diabetes 1. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) will stimulates TNF-α production, and it kills the white blood cells that responsible for destroying beta cells, and this prevents, or reverse diabetes 1.

TNF-α or Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, is part of the immune system that helps the immune system distinguish self from non-self tissue. People with type 1 diabetes are deficient in this substance, and with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Dr. Denise Faustman try to increase it. The trials for human have begun in 2008.

DiaPep277

DiaPep277 is a peptide fragment of a larger protein called HSP60, this substance has designed to cease the attacking beta cells, which is what diabetes 1. The product is currently being tested in people with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA).

Diamyd

Diamyd Medical also try to found a vaccine to fight diabetes 1, it called Diamyd. Injections with GAD65, an autoantigen involved in type 1 diabetes, has in clinical trials delayed the destruction of beta cells for at least 30 months, without serious adverse effects. Patients treated with the substance showed higher levels of regulatory cytokines, thought to protect the beta cells.

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