Researchers from the Children’s Diabetes Centre at The Kids Research Institute Australia have had a lead role in a global adolescent Type 1 Diabetes study, finding drugs used to treat blood pressure and cholesterol in adults can reduce the risk of kidney disease in young people with diabetes.
The four-year AdDIT (Adolescent Type 1 Diabetes cardio-renal Intervention Trial) study involved screening 4407 young people across three continents — Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada — with the aim of understanding more about the development of long-term kidney, eye and cardiovascular complications in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.
Professor Tim Jones, co-director of the Children’s Diabetes Centre at The Kids Research Institute Australia and paediatrician at Princess Margaret Hospital, was the principal investigator for Australia, which involved screening 2000 young people at seven hospitals and recruiting 200 participants, including 40 in Western Australia.
Professor Jones said AdDIT set out to examine the risks of complications during puberty and to find out if drugs used to lower blood pressure (ACE inhibitors) and cholesterol levels (statins) in adults could lessen the risk of kidney, eye and cardiovascular diseases in young people with Type 1 Diabetes.
“The trial was designed to measure the levels of a protein called albumin in participants’ urine, a marker for the risk of life-shortening complications,” Professor Jones said.
“Importantly, we found that it was possible to identify young teenagers who would be at risk of later heart and kidney problems and target them for preventive therapy. Those at higher risk were invited to join the trial, where they received either a single drug or a combination of the two.
“The results suggest that neither ACE inhibitors nor statins significantly reduced urine albumin levels but they did reduce early signs of kidney disease which is a really promising finding.
“The drugs were also very well tolerated by the participants and reduced blood pressure and cholesterol effectively.”
Cambridge University Professor David Dunger, lead researcher of AdDIT in the UK, said the therapies reduced harmful lipid levels and the risk of progression to microalbuminuria — the term used to describe higher levels of albumin in urine — both thought to be predictors of future risk for complications.
“The essential biological samples and data provided by the participants will continue to inform our future understanding and our options for effective therapies for this vulnerable group of young people with Type 1 Diabetes,” Professor Dunger said.
Professor Jones said researchers would continue to follow participants for up to 10 years to determine if early medication continued to protect the heart and kidneys from disease.
“Future work is still needed to establish the full benefits of statins and ACE inhibitors in young people with Type 1 Diabetes,” he said.
The results from the AdDIT study, which was funded by JDRF, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK, were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine today. Read the full article here.
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About the Children’s Diabetes Centre
The Children's Diabetes Centre, based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, is the only paediatric research centre of its kind in Australia and aims to improve the lives of children with Type 1 Diabetes. In WA, about 120 children are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes every year, and the number is increasing.
Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that is triggered by the immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 is a non-preventable disease — the exact cause is not known and there is no cure.
The Children's Diabetes Centre's uniquely holistic research program incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, therapies and education that are all aimed at improving the quality of life for young people with Type 1 Diabetes.
The Centre was established in 2015 by a Centre for Research Excellence grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council and JDRF Australia. Visit www.childrensdiabetescentre.org.au for more information.
About The Kids Research Institute Australia
The Kids Research Institute Australia is one of the largest and most successful medical research institutes in Australia, comprising a dedicated and diverse team of more than 500 staff and students.
We've created a bold blueprint that brings together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our vision to improve the health and wellbeing of children through excellence in research.
The Institute is headed by leading paediatrician and infectious diseases expert Professor Jonathan Carapetis, with Founding Director Professor Fiona Stanley now Patron.
The Kids is independent and not-for-profit. The majority of funding comes from our success in winning national and international competitive research grants. We also receive significant philanthropic support from corporate Australia and the community.
About JDRF
JDRF is the leading global organisation funding Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. Staff and volunteers in eight countries are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and JDRF’s vision of a world without T1D. For more information, visit www.jdrf.org.au.