JUVENILE DIABETES

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (16:17): I rise to bring to members' attention a matter that should be of particular interest to us all, that is, type 1 diabetes in children and the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes.

As always, as we draw close to October, I have been reflecting on the impact of that disease on the children, the young men and women who manage the ramifications of this disease in a constant and very physical way every day, the impact on the parents and carers of young diabetics, some even babies, who deal with the diagnosis and a lifetime of treatment, the impact on the families and friends of those children, and the impact of the disease on every aspect of their life together. Presently, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. The impact of the disease on the quality of life, not to mention life expectancy, is not only immediate but cumulative.

Diabetes affects almost every organ in the body. Blood vessels and the tissues and organs they supply are irreparably damaged over time due to chronically high levels of blood glucose. Serious complications, including diabetic eye, kidney and nerve diseases, and cardiovascular disease, can result. It does not take much thought to recognise the implications. Because type 1 diabetes starts early in life, children and young patients, who are at the beginning of their life, with all that entails, may be confronted with these and other serious complications while they are still in early childhood.

Do not think that this cannot happen to us or to our families, because it can and does. Some 80 per cent of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have no family history of the disease. As some members may be aware, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation regularly brings me up to date on research developments and the latest statistics on this chronic and increasingly prevalent disease.

There are now 140,000 children and adults in this country living with type 1 diabetes, and about 1,000 children 14 years of age and younger are developing this type of diabetes each year. A report issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on 21 August 2009 shows that Australia is now in the top 10 countries with the highest rates of diabetes in children.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in Australia, representing an enormous health, social and financial burden not only for the individuals with the disease and their families but for the community as a whole—and, on this point, consider just for a moment the economic impact. Although only 10 per cent of the diabetic population suffers from type 1 diabetes, this group accounts for 42 per cent of the overall cost of diabetes to our country. Sufferers incur medical and related costs between two and five times greater than a person without diabetes, and much of the cost is borne by the community. The cost is estimated to be in the billions of dollars each year.

A cure is the only way for people with type 1 diabetes to achieve the quality of life and the life span enjoyed by those who do not suffer this disease, and research is the key to finding a cure. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the world's leading non-profit, non-government contributor of funds to diabetes research.

The foundation has been closely associated with almost every crucial step forward in diabetes research since 1970. These steps include research into islet sourcing and transplantation to restore normal blood glucose levels, the early detection of complications and the identification of ways to prevent type 1 diabetes, including the development of a nasal insulin vaccine.

It is the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas that causes type 1 diabetes. So, pancreatic islet transplantation is a particularly exciting and promising area of research. Islets are hormone-producing cells. Already, donor pancreatic islets have been infused into the liver of recipients on numerous occasions around the world. When the transplantation is successful, the islets become embedded, producing insulin and restoring beta cell function.

An article published in the journal of the American Medical Association in April this year reveals that, although islet transplantation has been shown to offer protection against long-term complications of the disease and significant improvement of quality of life, impediments to the technique still remain; among these are limited acceptance of the donor islets within the recipient, immunosuppression and the fluctuating supply of human islets.

Scientists are now working to lengthen the survival times of islets and reduce the side effects of anti-rejection drugs, which can themselves include vulnerability to infection and nerve and kidney damage. It is clear that there is no easy answer, but we can help.

I am sure that all members will concur that the urgent need for a cure for diabetes outweighs our more usual party political exchanges.

Time expired.