Old Drug Being Tested for Prevention of Diabetes` Complications

Aug. 19--There may be hope for millions of Americans with diabetes if all goes as planned with a longtime drug -- one with a history of curbing flare-ups of gout -- that is being tested as a way to prevent some of the worst complications of the disease.

In a three-year trial being conducted at the University of Michigan and seven other sites, participants are being asked to take a common drug, Allopurinol.

The hope is that the drug, which suppresses the build-up of uric acid in the blood, will help delay the onset of diabetes' most harmful complications, such as kidney failure.

"This could prove to be a life-changing medication for people with diabetes," said Dr. Rodica Pop-Busui, an associate professor of internal medicine at U-M. "If we show this drug works, it would be wonderful."

She is the principal investigator of the Preventing Early Renal Loss in Diabetes study at U-M.

Diabetes is on the rise -- one in 10 adults currently have the disease -- according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And those numbers are expected to surge, as Americans live longer and pack on more pounds, a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

As many as one in three adults is expected to have diabetes by 2050 if current health trends continue.

Up to 15% of diabetes patients develop end-stage renal disease, requiring hemodialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

Pop-Busui, who specializes in metabolism, endocrinology and diabetes, called the drug "cheap, generic and safe," and said it could become as common a medication for diabetes as statins are for those with high cholesterol.

Already, the drug is also used to treat seizures, pain caused by pancreas disease and some infections. It also can improve survival after bypass surgery, reduce ulcer relapses and prevent rejection of kidney transplants.

To be clear, Allopurinol is not expected to cure diabetes. But it reduces the odds of kidney failure and other serious complications.

That would be a welcome development for Nicoleta Schock, 39, and others who have lived with diabetes for years.

A mother of two and a radiology technician at U-M's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Schock was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just 6 years old. Formerly called "juvenile diabetes," Type 1 is often diagnosed in young children.

Though she uses an insulin pump, she's constantly monitoring her sugar. And complications are never far from her mind.

"Since I was little, I was told, 'You have to be careful.' You keep those things in the back of your mind," she said.

Though only those with Type 1 diabetes can participate in the trial, the hope is that any of the drug's benefits would be applicable to those with Type 2 diabetes as well.

Contact Robin Erb: 313-222-2708 or rerb@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/FreepHealth.

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