Type 2 Diabetes - Genetics and Types of Effective Treatment
Some day it might be possible for everyone to have genetic screening to discover which diseases they are likely to develop and how best to prevent and treat them for any given individual.
According to work published in the journal Diabetes Care in December 2011, that day has arrived...
at least for a certain number of people with Type 2 diabetes.
The ABCC8-NDM gene: Researchers at the Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien in Corbeil-Essones, France, have found a gene called ABCC8-NDM can cause diabetes in infants and Type 2 diabetes in adults.
Those found to have ABCC8 showed prediabetes or actual diabetes.
When the individuals were treated with sulfonylureas drugs their blood sugar levels became better controlled.
From the above research it was concluded screening for the ABCC8 gene in adults could be a helpful method of indicating which particular diabetics could benefit from sulfonylurea treatment.
Sulfonylurea drugs include:
They were also the only oral diabetic drug available in the United States until the mid 1990s.
The sulfonylurea drugs have been prescribed since the 1970s.
Screening in newborn infants: According to the Seattle Children's Hospital in Washington State, United States, screening for ABCC8 and a similar gene called KCNJ11 and others, is already taking place in newborn infants with suspected cases of newborn diabetes.
When babies display high blood sugar levels in their first 6 months they are screened to determine whether insulin or sulfonylurea is the more appropriate treatment.
People identified with either ABCC8 or KCNJ11 gene can safely be treated with sulfonylureas.
The KCNJ11 gene: Back in 2006 an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported on a study that looked at people with the KCNJ11 gene who were treated with insulin.
Forty-nine of these diabetics discontinued insulin and began sulfonylurea therapy.
Ninety percent, 44 of these 49 diabetics, were able to control their diabetes successfully with one of the sulfonylurea drugs alone.
This information led the researchers to conclude that anyone identified with having the KCNJ11 gene could more than likely be treated with sulfonylureas more effectively than with insulin.
The explanation for the effectiveness of sulfonylurea drugs lay in their mechanism of action.
The researchers speculated the KCNJ11 gene blocks the action of beta cells, and the sulfonylurea drugs block that particular genetic action.
This allows the pancreatic beta cells to assume their normal function of making and releasing insulin.
According to work published in the journal Diabetes Care in December 2011, that day has arrived...
at least for a certain number of people with Type 2 diabetes.
The ABCC8-NDM gene: Researchers at the Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien in Corbeil-Essones, France, have found a gene called ABCC8-NDM can cause diabetes in infants and Type 2 diabetes in adults.
- 7 adults from families with infant diabetes, and
- 1 family with Type 2 diabetes
Those found to have ABCC8 showed prediabetes or actual diabetes.
When the individuals were treated with sulfonylureas drugs their blood sugar levels became better controlled.
From the above research it was concluded screening for the ABCC8 gene in adults could be a helpful method of indicating which particular diabetics could benefit from sulfonylurea treatment.
Sulfonylurea drugs include:
- Glipizide (brand names Glucotrol and Glucotrol XL),
- Glyburide (brand names Micronase, Glynase, and Diabeta), and
- Glimepiride (Amaryl).
They were also the only oral diabetic drug available in the United States until the mid 1990s.
The sulfonylurea drugs have been prescribed since the 1970s.
Screening in newborn infants: According to the Seattle Children's Hospital in Washington State, United States, screening for ABCC8 and a similar gene called KCNJ11 and others, is already taking place in newborn infants with suspected cases of newborn diabetes.
When babies display high blood sugar levels in their first 6 months they are screened to determine whether insulin or sulfonylurea is the more appropriate treatment.
People identified with either ABCC8 or KCNJ11 gene can safely be treated with sulfonylureas.
The KCNJ11 gene: Back in 2006 an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported on a study that looked at people with the KCNJ11 gene who were treated with insulin.
Forty-nine of these diabetics discontinued insulin and began sulfonylurea therapy.
Ninety percent, 44 of these 49 diabetics, were able to control their diabetes successfully with one of the sulfonylurea drugs alone.
This information led the researchers to conclude that anyone identified with having the KCNJ11 gene could more than likely be treated with sulfonylureas more effectively than with insulin.
The explanation for the effectiveness of sulfonylurea drugs lay in their mechanism of action.
The researchers speculated the KCNJ11 gene blocks the action of beta cells, and the sulfonylurea drugs block that particular genetic action.
This allows the pancreatic beta cells to assume their normal function of making and releasing insulin.
Source...