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INHALED INSULIN HELPS DIABETIC CHILDREN IN U.VA. STUDY

An easier way for diabetic children to get their daily doses of insulin is being tested at the University of Virginia Health System. A device for inhaling insulin reduces the number of daily injections patients need from three to only one. By letting them self-administer additional doses quickly and painlessly, pediatric diabetics can pursue activities at school and play that were previously off-limits because of injection schedules.

The U.Va. Division of Pediatric Endocrinology is one of 20 research centers in the nation that is testing the inhaler with pediatric patients. Phase one of the U.Va. study included 17 patients. A second phase to test the long-term effectiveness of the inhaler will take from one to three years.

The advantages of inhaled insulin are many. It's easier to use and therefore patients are better able to stick to their treatment -- this is especially important with kids, said study director Dr. William L. Clarke, head of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the U.Va. Health System.

Powdered insulin allows closer control of sensitive blood glucose levels because it enters the cells of the lung lining within five minutes, Clarke said. Such closer control means parents can calculate the dose according to what their child is going to eat and what their physical activity level will be on a given day. For example, a higher dose could precede a meal high in carbohydrates; a lower dose could precede vigorous physical activity.

Eleven-year-old study participant Nathaniel Bogan says he is glad to have the inhaler. This past summer, it allowed him to enjoy camp activities like horseback riding, canoeing and rope-climbing -- activities he would not have been able to do before due to having to receive insulin injections. The inhaler is not hard at all to use, he said. It folds up so it's easy to carry around.

One in 600 children have Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes each year. This makes the disease the second most common chronic disease in children, following asthma. Unchecked by medical care and insulin treatments, the condition may lead to complications such as blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and amputation. The sixth-leading cause of death by disease, diabetes affects more than 15.7 million Americans, almost 6 percent of the population, according to the American Diabetes Association.

October 31, 2000