Karen Liepke, a certified diabetes educator at Trinity Community Clinic/Western Dakota, is traveling to Boston’s Joslin Diabetes Center to be part of the study to be conducted Monday.
Liepke was asked to be part of the study because she has lived with diabetes for 50 years with complications. Scientists as The Joslin center have found that a high percentage of people who have Type 1 diabetes for 50 years or longer have little or no complications such as kidney damage (nephropathy), blindness (retinopathy) and nerve damage (neuropathy).
Center staff also want to find out what is keeping these individuals from having kidney, eye and nerve complications. It’s then hoped a vaccination for children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes that would prevent them from the complications may be created, Liepke said.
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily living, states the American Diabetes Association Web site. Joslin scientists are looking at the participants’ genetics to determine what’s preventing the complications. They plan to take pictures of their eyes and do peridontal exams, for example, she said.
Once that part of the study is completed, Liepke isn’t certain how long it’ll take for scientists to develop a vaccination or if more work needs to be done.
But she’s happy to be a part of the study.
“I’m very excited and thrilled. If it can ultimately help someone else, that’s an extra bonus,” she said.
Liepke was diagnosed with diabetes on March 2, 1959, at the age of 16 months. She suffered complications from low blood sugar such as shakiness and numbness, and has to closely monitor what she eats.
She’s a 1975 graduate of Williston High School and a 1978 graduate of the former Trinity Medical Center School of Nursing in Minot.
Comments
Richard James wrote on Jul 20, 2009 10:52 PM:
Today my wife and I no longer take any medication and our average blood glucose is in the normal range.
Sincerely,
Richard "
me wrote on Jun 14, 2009 9:07 PM:
mikal wrote on Jun 10, 2009 10:17 PM:
Tai wrote on Jun 7, 2009 5:01 PM: