Fast - and stuffs.

[kyburg]

Something I've been saying for years.

A common virus may be the trigger for the development of many cases of diabetes, particularly in children, UK researchers have reported.

The fact they're attributing some cases of Type II to this as well is new - but.

It wasn't until AIDS showed up that anyone ever considered something other than GENETIC FAIL SOWWY in the cases of Type I. Twin studies have shown pretty much conclusively that the biggest risk factor for developing type I was an identical sibling who already had, but that it was by no means a lock.

Something else had to be at work.

90% of type I diagnoses are done in families with no previous history of it. And the victim is nearly always alone.

(Type II? 50% chance per parent their kids will have it. It's a whole package.)

Cliff was born in postwar Okinawa - off base. A random enterovirus? More likely than not. I'd make book on it. What he inherited was an incredibly good immune system - the whole family is just about unkillable and he could NOT handle it when I caught a cold - the whole thing was too strange for him.

So if they find a cure for Type I diabetes, you can thank God for sending us AIDS. That's why we're getting this kind of thing now.

Curse, my butt.

Comments

[elfwench.livejournal.com]

So just to speculate here, if they find a vaccine for enterovirii, then that would in effect be a potential vaccine against diabetes, much in the same way as the HPV vaccine is a cervical cancer preventative.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the working theory.

[elfwench.livejournal.com]

That would be wonderful!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it just? And here's the cherry on top - how would you like to find out your Crohn's has a similar cause? How would you like to find our Rheumatoid Arthritis has a similar cause?

How would you -

All because of the work done to fight AIDS. Seriously.

[elfwench.livejournal.com]

I would love it, and sing prayerful thanks to those who have gone before with AIDS every day of my life. And yes, there's a virus/genetic thing that they are researching with regard to Crohn's I do believe.

Nevertheless and still, my Friedreich's Ataxia puts me at greater risk of diabetes... I'm not sure why... so the prospect of a diabetes vaccine does indeed thrill me.

[7leaguebootdisk.livejournal.com]

Some corners are being turned. I'd guess Crohn's is from not having parasites any more (small studies have treated it effectively with benign intestinal parasites), RA may be related to a overly broad response to a certain type of bacterial infection (seems to be true for a bunch of auto immune disorders), and 1/3 of obesity to a viral infection.

[violet-tigress1.livejournal.com]

Yes... and a simple childhood virus contributes to hpv susceptibility.... one I had the worst case of in the history of the world because some young mothers think that it's perfectly fine to take a child with chicken pox to daycare.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Oh, I was exposed without anyone knowing about it - the whole school broke out at once. The joy of the deed, of course.

Also, of course, there's a vaccine for that now - unless your're a brain-dead idiot who bought into the whole vaccine=autism crap. I guess you can tell what I think. ^^

But taking a kid already broken out? UH.

[violet-tigress1.livejournal.com]

There wasn't in the late 70's, though.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Nope. Me? Something like '66 or so.

[tomlemos.livejournal.com]

my parents used to toss all us healthy kids in with whoever of our friends was sick.

that's how I got chicken pox and other childhood diseases.

In a room full of my friends.

[7leaguebootdisk.livejournal.com]

Thing about the chicken pox vaccine is it isn't expected to be permanent. Better get your boosters, or it will be bad when you get it as an adult (I had it at 12, and that was incredibly awful). It's not a big deal if you are a small child.

Some of the critical vaccine people are pretty reasonable, "A Shot In The Dark" boils down to "Dr should read and follow the insert for the DpT vaccine". That seems reasonable to me, though too much work for the Dr, apparantly.

[stoneself.livejournal.com]

you can thank God for sending us AIDS

please don't say that.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Cancer.
Smallpox.
Heart Disease.

You name it. God sent them all.

I'd be an atheist, but then I wouldn't have anyone to blame.

I try to sit back and get pretty Buddhist on the whole idea - worms don't like being eaten by birds, people don't like being killed by diseases. But it's a fact, and a reality that life ain't fair - and that's what happens.

What is DONE with it, how it's perceived and dealt with - ah, there's the rub.

And I won't hesitate - we're so far better off (and will be MUCH better still once this thing is kicked) with AIDS in our vernacular. (FU Ronald Reagan, BTW.)

The ones of us who have survived it so far, of course.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

BTW, you don't really think AIDS is a gay disease - do you?

[stoneself.livejournal.com]

i know people who live with hiv/aids.
i know people who have died of it.

"you can thank God for sending us AIDS" is a horrific thing to say.

[elfwench.livejournal.com]

There is something to be thankful for in every adversity. I am intimately aware of adversity, thanks to many things, not hte least of which was my second husband leaving me when things got hard. That adversity has led to my being the most independent I've ever been in my 49 years and has caused immense personal growth. For that I am grateful.

To bring that back to topic, the AIDS epidemic was the springboard for further virus research once it was discovered to be of viral origin. Therefore, it is something to be thankful for as since now there are preventative vaccines for such things as cervical cancer and, hopefully soon now, diabetes. AIDS is a terrible disease, but what it's presence has brought is something to be grateful for.

context matters

[stoneself.livejournal.com]

intention isn't enough to erase harm. sure i understand the intention.

"you can thank God for sending us AIDS" isn't harmless. it's a horrific thing to say.

this is the usual context:

Re: context matters

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Then here's your ammunition for your sign back to them.

God sent AIDS so we'd cure it. And save more lives in the process.

(People who think it's a gay disease are clueless in the bargain. America is singular in that the transmission was found in the gay population first. Everywhere - EVERYWHERE - else, it's completely blood born and in both the het and gay populations. Doofuses.)

[drlaurac.livejournal.com]

There's also a link to playing with viruses for cancer research - we've been trying to use a modified adenovirus a few different ways to mess with cancer cells in living people, a sort of gene therapy.
Pretty much any research on the immune system is going to have benefits for all the immune system problems, from AIDS to RA to Crohns and everything in between, you fund one cause, you're really helping everyone.
So this helps explain the link between breastfed babies and lower rates of diabetes (though it still occurs) - because exclusively breastfed babies have fewer enterovirus infections, for multiple reasons, one reason being that substances in the breastmilk bind and inactivate pathogens in the gut.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

My friend cadhla lurves herself some viruses. But, for other reasons...she writes (among other things) zombie stories.