Due to lack of numbers our study day on 11 June, 2003, had to be cancelled. Apologies to those of you who wanted to attend and to the speakers who had kindly agreed to speak. We did receive several contacts and forms after the closing date but unfortunately we do have to stick to a deadline otherwise it becomes very expensive and wasteful when we have to cancel.
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We need to review whether we should continue with the study day each year and so it would be helpful if you could tell us if there was a particular reason for not applying. Was the reason you did not attend due to:
* Cost?
* Time of year?
* Content?
* Location?
* Other conferences?
* Finance delaying return of form?
* Other--please specify?
I look forward to seeing some of you at the De Vere Belfry, North Warwickshire for the November conference. Please remember that we need payment by the closing date. The final closing date is 3 October, 2003.
Do you have patients with a family history of diabetes?
Diabetes is on the increase in the UK and worldwide. While some research focuses on current treatment options for diabetes, other studies have attempted to gain a better insight into the causes of diabetes. We know that some types of diabetes run in families, suggesting a genetic cause.
One particular type of diabetes that is inherited is maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). This was first noticed in the 1970s when Tattersall and Fajan found that some people they had diagnosed with type I diabetes did not seem to require insulin (Tattersall, 1998). People with MODY have diabetes that presents at a young age (less than 25 years). MODY is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. Some type 2 diabetes is also inherited in this way, with a relatively early age of onset. Research has focused on finding genes for diabetes in these families as this may not only tell us about how diabetes is caused, but could also help in the design of new treatments for diabetes.
Since the 1970s, six genes have been found for MODY, but 20% of people with MODY do not have any of these genes (Frayling et al, 2001). Unfortunately, few useful genes have been found for type 2 diabetes. In adults it can be hard to disentangle inherited causes of diabetes from those caused by other disease, diet and lifestyle. As diabetes has become more common in children, interest has turned to looking for genes in younger people, as they will have fewer environmental factors clouding the causes for their diabetes.
At Birmingham Children's Hospital we are currently running a nationwide study in collaboration with Prof. Andrew Hattersley's team at the Peninsular Medical School, Exeter, sponsored generously by Diabetes UK, to look at young people (diagnosed before 16 years old) who have inherited diabetes from one parent that is not type 1. We are taking DNA from all members of these families with or without diabetes to see if we can find genes that pass down families: children, parents and grandparents.
If you think that one of your families could be eligible for this study please contact Dr John Porter at Birmingham Children's Hospital: 0121 3339267 or email j.porter@bham.ac.uk.
Frayling et al (2001) B cell genes and diabetes: molecular and clinical characterisation of mutations in transcription factors. Diabetes 50: S94-100
Tattersall R (1998) Maturity-onset diabetes of the young: a clinical history. Diabetic Medicine 15: 11-14
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