Glucose Test Detects Type 1 Diabetes
in People Without Symptoms

It is possible to have type 1 diabetes without displaying common symptoms, according to a study published in the February issue of Diabetes. Results of a preliminary, limited-test-group study showed that relatives of people with diabetes may have the disease even if they do not display typical symptoms, such as frequent urination or thirst.

Researchers in the Diabetes Prevention Trial of Type 1 Diabetes (DPT-1) used a specific testing method, the two-hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, to detect diabetes in the patients. The 585 people in the group consisted of relatives of people with type 1 diabetes who had islet-cell antibodies in their blood and also had either insulin autoantibodies or a low first-phase insulin response.

After receiving the glucose tolerance test, 61 (10.4 percent) people turned out to have two-hour blood glucose values consistent with the diagnosis of diabetes. Another 87 (14.8 percent) had impaired glucose tolerance, or, two-hour blood glucose values higher than normal but not high enough to indicate diabetes.

Despite the fact that low insulin production in relatives with islet-cell antibodies is an important cause of type 1 diabetes, researchers conclude that it is not the only cause. People with normal insulin levels can also get high sugar levels after meals that may result in diabetes

.

Hepatitis C Could Lead to Type 2

Research Suggests Relationship Between HCV Infection and Type 2

According to a study published in the October 17, 2000 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection brings with it an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, say previous studies have linked HCV with an increased risk of diabetes, but most of these patients may already have severe liver disease. They argue their study alone could account for the higher rates of diabetes in such patients.

David L. Thomas, MD, and colleagues from Johns Hopkins examined data from more than 9,800 adults enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for evidence of a link between HCV infection and type 2 diabetes. Overall, 8.37 percent of these individuals had type 2 diabetes, 0.38 percent had type 1 diabetes and 2.14 percent had evidence of HCV infection. After adjusting for these factors, the prevalence of type 2 was significantly higher in the HCV-positive group than in the HCV-negative group, except in persons younger than 40 years of age. In the 40-to-49-year-old age group, HCV-infected individuals were 3.1 times more likely to have type 2 diabetes than those without HCV infection.
The researchers say further investigation is needed to establish the relationship between HCV infection and type 2 diabetes and to assess biological mechanisms.

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