By HMG
Holston Medical Group (HMG) is now part of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, an international network of researchers led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is exploring ways to prevent and delay type 1 diabetes.
As a member of TrialNet, HMG offers screening for relatives of people with type 1 diabetes to determine their risk of developing the disease. TrialNet screening, which consists of a blood test, can identify specific risk for developing type 1 diabetes up to 10 years before symptoms appear.
“This screening is extremely important for families with a history of type 1 diabetes,” said David Morin, MD, HMG’s director of research. “It offers a wealth of information, opportunities, and choices for affected families.”
People who are identified as having an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes may be eligible to enroll in clinical studies that are testing ways to prevent and delay the disease. If diabetes can be delayed, even for a few years, those at risk may be able to postpone the difficult challenges of trying to control their glucose levels and the potential development of complications.
For people identified as already being in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, TrialNet offers intervention studies that are testing ways to slow down the disease’s progression.
It is estimated that as many as three million Americans have type 1 diabetes, and to find a way to prevent it, TrialNet is asking everyone who has a family member with type 1 diabetes to get involved in research and get screened. TrialNet screening is available at no charge to people who are age 45 and under and have a parent, sibling or child with type 1 diabetes; or age 20 and under and have a niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, grandparent, half-sibling or cousin with type 1 diabetes.
For more information about type 1 diabetes screening and research studies offered at HMG, please call 423-578-1568. For more information about Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet or to find a location in another part of the country, call 1-800-425-8361, or visit www.DiabetesTrialNet.org.
TrialNet is funded by NIH and sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International.