Type I Diabetes Prevention Trial 

Attention blood relatives of persons who have type I diabetes. If you are a
first degree relative (son, daughter, parent, brother or sister) of a type I
diabetic and are under age 45, or a second degree relative (cousin, niece,
nephew, aunt, uncle or grandchild) under age 20, you are needed to be screened
for an important major study called the Diabetes Prevention Trial (DPT-1). It
began in early 1994 and will continue over the next five to seven years at
medical centers nationwide. To be eligible for participation, relatives of
people who have Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) must: not currently
have diabetes, have no prior therapy for prevention of IDDM, have no previous
history of being treated with insulin or oral diabetes medications, have no
known serious diseases, are not planning to become pregnant during the trial
period, test positive for islet-cell autoantibodies, and be willing to follow
the protocol for one of two medications trials.
Because only three to six percent of all relatives of persons with IDDM are at
risk for developing diabetes, an estimated 60,000 first- and second-degree
relatives are needed to be screened for islet-cell autoantibodies (ICAs).
Being tested for ICAs is the first step in participation in DPT-1.
Arrangements for a free screening can be made by contacting one of several
DPT-1 clinical centers in Denver, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Tampa,
Gainesville, Miami, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Stanford, California. Or ask
your local physician to assist you and provide him/her with information about
DPT-1 and a blood sample kit which comes with instructions. The kit is free
and may be obtained by contacting any of the clinical centers mentioned above
or the Operations Coordinating Center: Diabetes Prevention Trial (DPT-1), P.O.
Box 016960, (D-110), Miami, FL 33101; telephone: 800-HALT-DM1 (800-425-8361).
Persons who test positive for ICAs will be eligible for further testing. The
Insulin Autoantibodies (IAAs) test measures antibodies produced by the body
against its own insulin; the third test, the First-Phase Insulin Release
(FPIR), measures the amount of beta cell damage that has already occurred.
Information from all three tests, ICAs, IAAs, and FPIR, determines which
first- and second-degree relatives are at risk for developing type I diabetes
in the next five years.
IDDM is caused by a defect in an individual's immune system which triggers the
body to destroy its own insulin producing cells  the islet or beta cells. The
initial trigger which leads to beta cell loss occurs years before symptoms of
diabetes appear. These specialized blood tests, ICAs, IAAs and FPIR, can
reliably predict the development of IDDM. The screening tests alone should be
a blessing to those who will eventually develop IDDM. They will benefit
greatly by having the opportunity for early diagnosis of diabetes long before
clinical symptoms appear and can be put on standard diabetes therapy much
sooner than would ordinarily happen. Study participants  those who have been
proven to be at risk but have not yet developed diabetes  will test one of
two different forms of insulin therapy which scientists believe should delay
or prevent the onset of IDDM. There is no charge to participants for tests,
procedures or medical treatments. This study requires significant personal
commitment in time and energy. However, the long-term reward will be a
healthier, longer life for participants.n
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