A Diabetes breakthrough for kids
Published: October 6, 2006
There is new hope for some children suffering from Type 1 diabetes. New genetic findings mean some children may be able to do without daily injections.
You’d never suspect six-year-old, Lilly Jaffe has a chronic illness. When she was just one month old when she was diagnosed with “type one” diabetes. Doctors believed her body couldn’t produce enough insulin to control her blood sugar.
For years, Lilly’s parents, Laurie and Mike Jaffe, gave their little girl daily injections. Later, Lilly was fitted with an insulin pump to monitor her blood sugar. Twice, Lilly had seizures.
“She was shaking she was tensing up her eyes were bulging out of her head, it was something a mother never wants to see,” Laurie said.
Then Lilly’s parents heard about a new development.
Dr. Lou Philipson, The University. of Chicago: “There could be two to three thousand people in the United States alone, who are taking insulin who may not need to take insulin and that is huge.”
Lilly’s DNA was tested and it turned her cells have a specific gene mutation seen in a small percentage of type 1 diabetes patients.
The mutation is called “Monogenetic Diabetes”. And this means it responds to drugs called sulfonylureas. The drugs are in pill form and with they help the cells produce insulin.
Within days, doctors began weaning Lilly from her insulin injections. Now, no more painful daily shots. Her diabetes is controlled with the twice a day pills.
“Over the course of days we saw a miracle unfolding before us. And see that she was correcting her own blood sugar for the first time. It was absolutely awesome. It was just mind blowing,” her father said.
The genetic test is expensive but the research in this area is ongoing.
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