Researchers have announced encouraging results from a new medical trial, saying that several patients in the United States have fully recovered from diabetes and no longer need to use insulin.
The results were shared by a research team at the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute, where the study was carried out on people suffering from Type 1 diabetes.
Unlike Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system damages the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot control blood sugar levels, which can rise to dangerous levels.
When this happens, the body starts breaking down fat for energy, which produces harmful acids called ketones. This can lead to a serious condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, which may cause swelling in the brain, kidney failure, heart problems, and even death.
In this trial, 10 patients with Type 1 diabetes received islet cell transplants. These are small groups of special cells found in the pancreas that produce hormones needed to control blood sugar levels.
According to the researchers, within just four weeks all 10 patients were able to stop using insulin injections. Their bodies started producing insulin naturally again, which means they no longer needed expensive daily injections. The results are being seen as a major breakthrough and could offer new hope to people living with Type 1 diabetes.
