The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not yet known, but we do know that it is not caused by poor diet and lack of activity. At this stage, nothing can be done to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes but scientists are working on finding a cure for the future. In the meantime you can live an enjoyable life by learning about the condition and effectively managing it. While your lifestyle choices didn’t cause type 1 diabetes, the choices you make now can minimise many of the complications associated with diabetes.
The following information is of a general nature only and should not be substituted for medical advice or used to alter medical therapy. It does not replace consultations with qualified healthcare professionals to meet your individual medical needs.
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Insulin Pump Subsidy Now Available
From 1 November 2008 the ‘Type 1 Diabetes Insulin Pump Grant Program’ will be accepting applications.
The program will provide subsidies of up to $2500 for the supply of insulin pumps for around 700 families who cannot afford private health insurance. The subsidy of between $500 and $2500 per person will be means tested on the basis of gross family income.
The Program has been established by Diabetes Australia and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation following a commitment of $5.5 million by the Australian Government.
For more information on the program or to apply for a subsidy, go to
www.jdrf.org.au/pumps or call 02 9966 0400.
Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Study
Have you ever wondered what might have been if your diabetes could have been prevented and would you give the rest of your family that chance?
Exciting research findings during the past few years have provided new evidence that it may be possible to prevent or delay the onset of Type 1 Diabetes - and Australia is leading the world in the race to prove it. Initial research showed that intranasal delivery of an insulin solution can switch the immune system out of attack mode, even after it has started producing the antibodies.
This vaccination approach was tested and shown to be safe in a previous clinical trial called the Intranasal Insulin Trial I (INIT I), in children and young adults at risk for type 1 diabetes. A much larger study, the Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Study (INIT II), has since been initiated in 2006 by Professor Len Harrison and Professor Peter Colman from the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Walter Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.
The study requires 264 individuals with two telltale antibodies to participate in order to prove the researcher’s hypothesis that this approach can prevent type 1 diabetes. As only around 1 in 50 (2%) of people tested will have the antibodies the researchers need to test samples from over 16,500 people. So far over 6000 people have registered for the study, 3430 have had a blood sample taken and 72 have been found to have the antibodies. Of these, 32 have been entered into the trial and 5 have completed their 12 months treatment.
Anyone who has type 1 diabetes in his or her family can potentially participate in this important and exciting study. ALL RELATIVES (aged between 4 and 30) are urged to have the blood test. The first step is to have the blood test which will identify whether there is a risk. If the blood test is positive, you will be one of the people who can contribute towards this groundbreaking research. People who continue into the study will self –administer the insulin solution or placebo using a nasal spray every morning for one week (7 consecutive days) and then once a week for 12 months. They will then be followed up for a further four years.
Further information can be obtained by calling 1300 138 712 or visiting our website: www.stopdiabetes.com.au
The Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Study is funded by the Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre (www.dvdc.org.au)