posted 08/30/02
New research shows treating children with diabetes for a common bacterial infection may help get their blood sugar under better control.
Researchers say the finding is important because better glycemic control is known to help patients avoid or minimize many of the long-term complications of diabetes, including damage to the eyes, nerves, and kidneys.
Investigators from Louisiana State University previously noted children infected with Helicobacter pylori bacteria had a higher HbA1c level, which is a reading of a patient's average blood sugar over the prior three months. Although they don't fully understand the relationship between the two, researchers speculate H. pylori leads to the production of substances in the body that stimulate insulin counter-regulatory hormones and affect the metabolism of carbohydrates.
To test the bacteria's involvement, they treated eight children who had type 1 diabetes and H. pylori infection with an antibiotic to eradicate the bacteria. They then compared the childrens' Hb1c levels over time to a group of similar kids with diabetes but no evidence of the infection. Before treatment, children in the treatment group had higher Hb1c levels than those in the control group, but after treatment, their levels slowly began to decline. By the end of the two-year study, blood sugar control was similar in both the treatment and control groups.
Researchers write, "If confirmed, our findings could have important implications for better control of the glycemia of diabetic patients infected with H. pylori."
Source: Ivanhoe Newswire: Southern Medical Journal, 2002;95:842-845.