Why is there no cure for diabetes?

[Administrator]

Why is there no cure for diabetes?

Asked by Margaret on Facebook during the 7pm-8pm live chat with Dr Hilary Jones. Got a question? Ask it here.

 

[Dr. Hilary Jones]

If you are talking about Type 1, the islet cells in your pancreas have been destroyed by an auto immune response and no longer produce any insulin. To cure this the beta cells would have to be replaced and that is the basis of much research currently. Stem cell therapy offers much promise but the difficulty that has to be overcome is that any circulating autoantibodies would still be present and could destroy the transplanted stem cells.

 

[AlexMBrennan]

Because despite our best efforts 100% of people die, and that means they have to die of something. People who would have died of trivial infections now live long enough to get diabetes or cancer; and whilst scientists are now out looking for a cure it isn't always very easy. When we finally find a cure, I'm sure that a new incurable disease will turn up and people will again be asking this very question.

 

[novorapidboi26]

a true cure would be to stop the immune system response, until they work that out, any other solution will just be a treatment..........

definitions aside though, I wouldn't be fussy whatever comes along.........

 

[sanguine]

We should be thankful that diabetes is a condition that we can do so much to control and manage by our own actions, and in the case of T2 at least even with no medication. Perhaps effort should be prioritised first on education and encouragement to follow regimes that work, and not the increasingly discredited NICE guidelines with the EatWell Plate. The money saved by not having to provide so many drugs and not having to treat so many complications could then be used elsewhere, maybe in research towards a genuine cure. But a cure for what exactly? T2 diabetes is more a set of symptoms caused by one or more separate system flaws, it's not a one-size-fits-all 'disease'.