Diabetes cases are on rise in county

PLAINS TWP. – Diabetes has been on the rise in Luzerne County, just as it has been across the state and country, but with a greater prevalence locally.

And Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is holding clinical trials for new diabetes drugs that it is hoped will allow better treatment of the disease.

“We want to find ways to speed up and improve the treatment of diabetes, whether by drugs, devices or behavior-modification programs,” said Geisinger endocrinologist Dr. Ronald Harris.

Diabetes is a disregulation of glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure associated with an inflammation of the blood vessels, Harris said.

The most common type – occurring in about 90 percent of all diabetes patients – is Adult Type II diabetes, which can lead to eye disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and heart attack – the most common cause of death among Type II sufferers.

“It’s the most common because the population of Type II patients with diabetes travels on the heels of an epidemic of obesity the nation has faced over the last couple of decades,” Harris said.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adult Pennsylvanians with diabetes climbed from 5.5 percent in 1997 to 8.6 percent in 2007.

The CDC also reports that the percentage of adults in Luzerne County with diabetes climbed from 9.1 percent in 2004 to 9.3 percent in 2005 – the most recent local figures available.

“Number one, we live in a society where the norm is to get in the car. People don’t walk two blocks to get their milk; they drive. Secondly, we have an increasing geriatric population, plus an explosion of baby boomers. And as we age, the prevalence of diabetes increases.

“After age 65, you have a 1 out of 5 chance of having glucose metabolism problems,” Harris said.

“When you have an aging population, a sedentary population, an overweight population, it stands to reason why we have this massive explosion in the prevalence of diabetes,” Harris said.

“We’re in for challenging times as we face the Obama health-care initiative. And he’s right – if we don’t fix the problem now, we’re going to be paying for it later. … We can’t afford to be a smoking, overweight, sedentary society. It’s going to kill us, literally,” Harris said.

The clinical trials at the Geisinger hospitals in Plains Township, Danville and State College are one way the health system is responding to the health crisis.

Geisinger’s Center for Clinical Studies is conducting two clinical trials of drugs to fight diabetes.

One trial is closed to new participants because Geisinger competes with other research and clinical facilities throughout the country, and funding is available to cover a limited number of participants, Harris said.

The trial that’s still open is for diabetes patients who are “drug na�ve” – dealing with diabetes only through diet. It involves taking a weight-loss drug, the safety and effectiveness of which are evaluated. It’s a double-blind study, Harris said, so patients don’t know if they will receive the experimental drug or a placebo.

Participating in a clinical trial means free medication, care, education, test strips and doctor visits for the six months to one year that the trial lasts, Harris said, adding that trials sometimes are extended to 18 months. There are inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria for each trial. For example, someone who suffered a heart attack in the last six months, has kidney failure or is pregnant could not participate.

He said pharmaceutical companies pay for the trials, and the trials are closely scrutinized by an Ethics Review Committee and the federal Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Peter Berger is the Clinical Studies director for Geisinger and Harris is Geisinger’s liaison between the pharmaceutical companies, ethics review committee and FDA.

Harris would explain available trials to anyone who called the endocrinology department and expressed an interest. He hopes to begin a new trial in September, but is awaiting approval.

“By participating in a diabetes clinical trial, individuals gain access to the best minds in the country working to find better ways to prevent and manage the disease, and they are helping other people down the line,” Harris said.

He said clinical research has been ongoing at Geisinger since the healthcare organization was founded more than a century ago. What’s new is that the three hospitals work together to offer trials to patients across the state.

“We can offer something that is cutting edge … right in your own backyard,” Harris said.

THINKING ABOUT PARTICIPATING?

DIABETES FACTS

TO LEARN MORE

Call Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center’s endocrinology department at 808-1000 and tell the receptionist you’re interested in clinical trials for diabetes.

• Those with risk factors should be regularly evaluated by their physician after age 20. When symptoms begin to manifest themselves, the disease has already done damage to the body.

• Eat right – properly prepared meals with an appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables.

Learn more about diabetes at www.diabetes.org – the Web site of the American Diabetes Association.