The people at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tell a very interesting story about the 11,000 Pima Indians of the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona and their unique part in helping scientists from NIDDK -- the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases arm of NIH -- and the international diabetes community learn the secrets of diabetes, obesity and their complications, over more than three decades.
The work begun in 1965 led to a worldwide clinical definition of diabetes and the universal diagnostic criteria used by doctors to identify and treat diabetes. Researchers currently are working on genetic implications. "We're optimistic we will find one or more genes ... It's still hard to predict how we might prevent diabetes, but we might, for example, be able eventually to correct the genetic difference that causes disease," said NIH scientist Dr. Bill Knowler.
At minimum, Dr. Knowler points out, "identifying the diabetes genes would allow us to identify the people most likely to get the disease."
Read the full story: http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pima/pathfind/pathfind.htm.
The peaceful Pima Indians have served the U.S. in many ways. Photo at right is Luis Morago, a Pima Indian and noted scout for the U.S. Army, 1872 (Smithsonian Institution).
This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.
The work begun in 1965 led to a worldwide clinical definition of diabetes and the universal diagnostic criteria used by doctors to identify and treat diabetes. Researchers currently are working on genetic implications. "We're optimistic we will find one or more genes ... It's still hard to predict how we might prevent diabetes, but we might, for example, be able eventually to correct the genetic difference that causes disease," said NIH scientist Dr. Bill Knowler.
At minimum, Dr. Knowler points out, "identifying the diabetes genes would allow us to identify the people most likely to get the disease."Read the full story: http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pima/pathfind/pathfind.htm.
The peaceful Pima Indians have served the U.S. in many ways. Photo at right is Luis Morago, a Pima Indian and noted scout for the U.S. Army, 1872 (Smithsonian Institution).
This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.
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