May, 2006
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Burden of Diabetes
Over 25 years, the Starr County Health Studies have yielded vital information about the burden of diabetes, its molecular pathways, and how diabetics can better manage their illness.
- It’s common knowledge now that Mexican-Americans bear a particularly heavy burden of diabetes. But that wasn’t the case when early Starr County studies showed that one in two Mexican-American adults over 30 either have diabetes or a close relative that has the disease, involving them in the care of others with diabetes. Early studies also established a clear link between complications of diabetes and mortality.
- With collaborators including the University of Chicago, Hanis’ team conducted the first genome-wide scan to find genes involved in type 2 diabetes. This led to discovery of the first genetic variation raising diabetes risk, found in the Calpain10 gene, a finding published in Nature Genetics in 2000.
- Starr County Health Services is conducting the largest study of diabetic retinopathy among Mexican-Americans. Early studies have pointed to a genetic effect in severe cases of this leading cause of adult blindness.
- One of the first culturally sensitive diabetes education programs to target Mexican-Americans has been developed in Starr County with collaborators at The University of Texas at Austin.
- Screening data has been collected on 29,700 individuals; 21,000 physical examinations and more than 80,000 “walk-in” glucose screenings have been performed.
- More than $16 million in external research support for Starr County Health Studies has come from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases; the National Eye Institute; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the national Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; the American Diabetes Association; the State of Texas; and the Texas-Mexico Border Health Services Delivery Project.
“There are diabetics who, because of these studies, have had earlier treatment than they otherwise would have gotten, and haven’t died prematurely or gone blind,” principal investigator Craig Hanis, Ph.D., said. “We will work to tease out the molecular pathways involved in this disease. No genetic stone will go unturned as we identify the factors and pathways that lead to diabetes and its complications. We are clearly working in the right community, have the right collaborators and the necessary resources to be successful.”