Type-1 diabetes 'prevention' trial starts in Scotland

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Type-1 diabetes 'prevention' trial starts in Scotland
By Adam Brimelow Health correspondent, BBC News

A major trial is set to start in Scotland aimed at preventing type-1 diabetes in children.

Researchers are preparing to contact all 6,400 families in the country affected by the condition.

Children who have a parent or sibling with type-1 diabetes will be invited for a blood test to see if they are at high risk of developing the disease.

Those at risk will be offered a drug called metformin to see if it can hold off diabetes.

Metformin is already used to treat diabetes, but it is not clear if it might prevent it from developing in the first place.

If successful, the study could challenge long-established thinking on what lies behind type-1 diabetes.

Scotland has the third highest rate of type-1 diabetes in the world, and a good system of record to identify affected families.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36083144

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