腸道病毒更易黏上Ｉ型糖尿病患者
新一期《英國醫學雜誌》刊登研究報告說，Ｉ型糖尿病患者往往更容易感染腸道病毒，但目前還不清楚其背後的因果關係，對此進一步研究將有助於理解糖尿病的發病機理並研發新治療手段。
澳大利亞新南威爾士大學等機構研究人員報告說，過去對Ｉ型糖尿病和腸道病毒感染之間的聯繫有一些猜測，為確認兩者的關係，他們回顧了這方面的大量研究，調查了4000多人的健康資料。結果顯示，那些患有Ｉ型糖尿病的人，感染腸道病毒的風險是其他人的約10倍。
腸道病毒是一類病毒的總稱，包括柯薩奇病毒、脊髓灰質炎病毒等，它們可引起發熱和咳嗽等感冒症狀，有的還會引發手足口病、腦膜炎或脊髓灰質炎。Ｉ型糖尿病又稱胰島素依賴型糖尿病或青少年糖尿病，多發於兒童以及青少年。本次研究中的調查對象大部分是兒童，因此患Ｉ型糖尿病的兒童需要注意預防腸道病毒感染。
研究人員說，目前只是發現了一種相關性，還不能確定Ｉ型糖尿病和腸道病毒感染的因果關係，或是有第三種因素，如可能有某種基因缺陷使人既易患Ｉ型糖尿病又易被腸道病毒感染。
但這種相關性為研究Ｉ型糖尿病的病因提供了一個突破口。目前人們知道基因對Ｉ型糖尿病發病起著重要作用，但還不能完全解釋這種疾病，如能在本次研究基礎上進一步理解Ｉ型糖尿病的發病機理，將有助於研發新的治療手段。
2011-02-07 新華網
http://chinese.medicaldaily.com/news/20110207/2034/
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Diabetes and virus link confirmed
Children with Type 1 diabetes are nearly 10 times as likely to also have a viral infection than healthy children, Australian research suggests.
Childhood diabetes has been linked to enteroviruses, which can lead to cold, flu and even meningitis.
However the review of 26 existing studies by a group in Australia, published in the BMJ, does not prove that the virus causes diabetes.
Diabetes UK said more research was needed to pinpoint the cause of Type 1.
The illness typically appears in childhood, when the pancreas stops producing the hormone insulin and the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood.
More common
The number of cases has been increasing, without explanation, across the globe.
There is a genetic factor to Type 1 diabetes but this does not explain the rise, so scientists are searching for environmental factors.
One of these is thought to be the enterovirus, yet previous studies on the virus have been inconsistent.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales and the Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes in Sydney combined the research of several groups to provide a more definitive answer.
They reviewed 26 sets of research involving 4,448 patients and concluded: "The association between enterovirus infection, detected with molecular methods, and diabetes was strong, with almost 10 times the odds of enterovirus infection in children at diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
Dr Jonathan Levy, consultant diebetologist at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, said: "It looks to be a very well conducted study that seems to nail the association very dramatically, especially in the newly diagnosed."
The root of the problem
One of the issues with this type of research is that it is hard to prove what causes what.
Enterovirus could cause diabetes, or diabetes could make you more susceptible to enterovirus - or something else, such as genetic makeup, could make you more likely to get both.
The authors acknowledge more studies need to take place.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Many factors have been reported as being associated with Type 1 diabetes but that is not the same as causing Type 1 diabetes and this report based on looking at a number of previous studies does not bring us much closer to pinpointing the causes of Type 1 diabetes."
"We do, however, welcome any new analysis that brings about a better understanding of the involvement of certain viruses on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
"It may well give us another piece of the jigsaw in working towards a better understanding of the causes of Type 1 diabetes which should in turn lead to new prevention strategies."
Dr Alan Foulis, who has been researching the link between diabetes and viruses at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said: "There's evidence of enterovirus involvement, but there are too many different enteroviruses, hundreds of them."
"What researchers are trying to do is pool resources across Europe to find out which enteroviruses could be be associated with Type 1, which a vaccine manufacturer would need to know to pinpoint the exact one to target."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12354032
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