
September 18, 2006
Research: Other Research
Question from Catonsville, Maryland, USA:
I was just forwarded an e-mail regarding a little girl whom had gone off the pump. She went from a type 1 to a type 2 diabetic using a sulfonylurea. It stated she had a gene called Kir6.2, which mutates due to the drug to produce insulin. Do you have any information regarding any studies? Is this e-mail a hoax?
Answer:
The information you read is correct.
In the August 3, 2006 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reported that patients with a rare form of neonatal diabetes can be treated more effectively and more safely using sulfonylurea medication instead of insulin. For these patients, this is an incredible breakthrough in treatment.
For more information see Switching from Insulin to Oral Sulfonylureas in Patients with Diabetes Due to Kir6.2 Mutations and Activating Mutations in the ABCC8 Gene in Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus.
JSH