Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170035
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If you are under 45 and the son or daughter of a parent who had insulin-dependent diabetes (Type I), then Montgomery Regional Hospital might be looking for you as a possible participant in the national Diabetes Prevention Trial - Type I.
Montgomery is one of many hospitals across the country that are testing for antibodies that indicate a person's potential for diabetes. The blood drawn at the New River Valley hospital is forwarded to the University of Miami to be analyzed. The university then contacts the person about the results of the test.
Second-degree relatives (grandchildren) under 20 are also eligible for the tests.
So far, 25 people have been screened at the Blacksburg hospital, and none have had the antibodies that qualified them for enrollment in the study, said Laura Burton, director of education and manager of the hospital's Outpatient Diabetic Center,
People with insulin-dependent diabetes mostly develop diabetes before age 40, have always been treated with insulin injections and often may have had sudden onset of severe symptoms (weight loss, hunger, thirst, increased urination) at the time of diagnosis.
It may be possible to prevent insulin-dependent diabetes, and that is what the study is all about. Preliminary studies showed that giving insulin injections to high-risk individuals has the potential to halt, slow or delay the progression of the disease.
The current trial is the first controlled clinical effort designed to test the treatment. That will be done by giving half of the participants insulin and the other half a placebo.
Because only 3 to 6 percent of all relatives of individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes will be at risk of developing the disease, about 60,000 people will need to be screened to complete two trials that will test two different treatments.
If you're interested, call Montgomery Regional at 953-5232, or call the national trial center in Miami at 1-800-425-8361. Remember, if you are asked to participate it will require that you devote considerable time and effort to it. Also, it will mean that you should ask all the questions that come to mind before you get started.
Heart attack help
In 1993, the last year for which figures are available, 40 percent of the Virginians who died did so because of cardiovascular disease. Of a total of 51,022 deaths, 20,651 were heart-disease related.
Also, more than half of those who died from heart disease and stroke were women.
The geographical breakdown of deaths shows that two western Virginia localities, Covington and Highland County, are among the areas with higher than average rates of deaths from heart problems. In Covington, 54 percent of the deaths were attributed to cardiovascular disease; in Highland County, it was 50 percent.
By comparison, the percentages for Roanoke County and Roanoke city were 44 and 43.
Still, the average heart attack patient in Southwest Virginia waits about 45 minutes longer than the national average before seeking medical attention for chest pain - which could mean that we don't recognize the indications of a heart attack.
Because of this, HeartNet of The Virginias runs Early Response programs for anyone who asks.
If you want to know more about the early warning signs of a heart attack or would like a class conducted for your office, church group or other organization, call 1-800-422-8482. That's the number for Heartnet of the Virginias, which is a group of 11 hospitals in Southwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia.
Early warnings of a heart attack may include pressure, pain or unusual discomfort in the chest that lasts more than two minutes; pain spreading to one of both shoulders or arms and to the neck or jaw; or chest pain accompanied by sweating, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fainting or shortness of breath.
A patient who receives treatment within the first hour of a heart attack has the best chance to survive. Among the early treatments are clot dissolving drugs that can reduce the severity of the attack.
The death rate from heart disease has dropped more than 25 percent and the death rate from stroke by 30 percent in the past 10 years, according to the American Heart Association, Virginia Affiliate.
Heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, angina pectoris, irregular heart beat, congestive heart failure, rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease are the most common diseases. Of all heart disease-related deaths in 1993, 15,867 were attributed to cerebrovascular disease (rupture of diseased blood vessels in the brain or inadequate blood supply to the brain), including stroke. High blood pressure directly caused 218 deaths, and atherosclerosis (obstructed arteries) killed 376. Various diseases of the blood vessels accounted for the remaining 564 deaths.
- 981-3393, or sandrakinfi.net.
by CNB