why medical research is so important
Diabetes
Diabetes is currently one of the fastest growing diseases in the developed world. Most new cases are the result of poor diet and exercise but there are many people who get the condition as a result of genetics. Because of how widespread diabetes now is it is seeing a huge increase in the amount and the types of research that are being done.
The diabetes research that is most immediately applicable is that which is focused on managing the disease. People with diabetes have to constantly make sure that the condition is under control and this has a huge impact on their quality of life. The discovery of artificial insulin has made it possible for people to control the disease but there is still a long way to go. Most of the research is on finding ways to better monitor blood glucose levels and to keep them under control.
There is also a great deal of research currently going on that aims to actually cure diabetes. The goal here is to remove the requirement for people to actively control the condition on their own by actually curing it. There have been various attempts at this and much progress has been made but we are still a long way from a cure for diabetes. The best that we have been able to come up with is better ways to keep the condition under control. While this is certainly useful it is a long way from the goal of a cure.
Because there is no cure for diabetes a great deal of research is being put into ways to prevent it from occurring. The goal is to find the gene that actually causes diabetes. If they are able to do this it will likely become possible to modify the gene so that people are no longer susceptible to diabetes. This is the long term goal and it will take a considerable time before this happens.
The fact that it there is really no cure for diabetes on the immediate horizon has made it necessary to do research on the diseases that are associated with diabetes. There are a wide variety of medical problems that people with diabetes suffer from, these include heart disease, kidney disease, vision problems and ultimately the loss of limbs due to poor circulation. There is a great deal of research going into lessening the frequency with which people with diabetes suffer these complications.
While a great deal of research has gone into work that will have practical applications for people with diabetes the best hope for a cure is likely with the research that is being done at the most basic level. This is research that is being done on things like how the endocrine system works and how the body processes sugar. This research will form the basis for any cure that is found for diabetes.
