Westminster View: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - 19th November 2009
I recently had an interesting meeting with a group from Chelmsford who are promoting a greater understanding of type 1 diabetes. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) exists to find the cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications, and is the world's largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research.
The organisation was founded by a small group of parents of children with type 1 diabetes who recognised that insulin injections are not the cure for this life threatening and lifelong condition. JDRF's efforts around the world are focused on raising money and driving world-class research, because they believe only research will find the cure.
The Chelmsford representatives explained to me how important it is to have a greater understanding of this condition, particularly among young people at school who may not know anything about it, but may have friends at school or others in their peer group who are coping with type 1 diabetes.
About 350,000 people in the UK alone are affected by type 1 diabetes, with over 25,000 of them children. It is a chronic, life threatening condition, which has a life-long impact on those diagnosed with it and their families. It is a leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, stroke, heart attacks and nerve damage leading to amputation. Worryingly, incidences of type 1 diabetes are increasing by about 4 per cent each year, particularly in children under five, so it is no great surprise that health complications as a result of type 1 diabetes account for 5 – 10 per cent of the total NHS expenditure per year.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the amount of glucose in the blood is too high. When there is insufficient or a total absence of insulin – the hormone that transfers glucose from the bloodstream into the cells to be used for energy – blood glucose levels go outside the normal range. This brings about type 1 diabetes, although what causes the body to attack the insulin producing cells in the body is not entirely known.
When blood glucose levels are too high the body will attempt to remove the excess glucose from the blood in any way it can. This leads to a chain of events including the body trying to get rid of the excess glucose by pushing it out in the urine, resulting in the need to go to the toilet more often; increased thirst, because more urine is being passed; tiredness and eventually exhaustion, because the cells aren't getting the energy they need; weight loss, because the body still needs energy so it will start to break down fat stores; and a build up of ketones, which are toxic to the body and can cause the breath to smell ketotic (like pear drops), stomach pains and ultimately loss of consciousness if the condition continues for any length of time.
Onset of these symptoms is quite rapid, over days and weeks rather than months, although the process of the damage to the insulin producing cells may have taken months or years to develop.
Those with type 1 diabetes must treat the condition with a programme of finger prick blood glucose tests and insulin injections up to six times a day. While these may prolong life, they are not the cure.
JDRF in the UK was founded in 1986. It is an independent charity with its own Board of Directors and registered with the Charity Commission. At a global level, JDRF volunteers and staff have been responsible for raising over £600 million to support type 1 diabetes research since the charity's inception.
The organisation raises money to drive world-class research to prevent, treat and cure type 1 diabetes and its serious and debilitating complications. For 30 years JDRF have been fundamentally involved in the delivery of advances in this field; seeking out, assessing and monitoring the best science to drive the breakthroughs that improve management of type 1 diabetes and will ultimately cure the condition.
In additional to funding research, JDRF also recognise the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes and advocate to ensure that the condition is fully understood. They provide information for families affected and encourage them to become directly involved in supporting research for the cure.
Given that young people are made aware of the importance of sexual health in schools, for example, I think it would be a good idea to broaden the curriculum and to also teach young people about other health conditions, like type 1 diabetes, so that they have a greater understanding and knowledge of health as it might affect them and their families and friends throughout life.
