A medical care team led by Professor Hideki Katagiri and Professor Yoshitomo Oka Tohoku University Graduate school of Medicine and Tohoku University Hospital succeeded in complete cure of type B insulin resistance syndrome, a subtype of diabetes, by eradicating Helicobacter pylori (*1.) These results have been published in the July 18 issue of “The Lancet” (British medical journal). The paper’s title is _Eradication of insulin resistance._

  Type B insulin resistance syndrome is a subtype of diabetes, which caused by producing antibodies against insulin receptor. Insulin binds to insulin receptors to lower the blood-sugar level. In patients with this syndrome, autoantibodies to insulin receptors block insulin biding to its receptors. Therefore, insulin dose not work and the medications for diabetes are less than effective. In addition to hyperglycemia by ineffective insulin action, patients with this syndrome often experience hypoglycemic attack. Type B insulin resistance syndrome is known as an incurable disease accompanied by both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

  The medical care team eradicated Helicobacter pylori from a patient with type B insulin resistance syndrome who also suffered from thrombocytopenia (autoimmune disorder) as a therapy for thrombocytopenia. Then, the team has found that the diabetes became normalized, with disappearance of hypoglycemic attacks and antibodies to insulin receptors.

  In the above case, there are no sings of recurrent diabetes or symptoms of hypoglycemia after one year has passed since treatment, and the disease seems to be cured. The result shows that a subset of diabetes is related to Helicobacter pylori infections, and that the complete therapy could be established by eradicating Helicobacter pylori. These findings are expected to be beneficial for patients with the same disease around the world.

[Glossary]
*1 Helicobacter pylori
Bacteria that lives in stomach and can cause gastritis, gastric ulcer, or gastric cancer.
Professor Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren, pathologist in Australia, has succeeded in cultivation of Helicobacter pylori, and shown that it is a pathogenesis of gastritis, or gastric ulcer. They were awarded to Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.

  It has recently reported that Helicobacter pylori relates to specific autoimmune disorders including idiopathic thrombocytopenia.

[Contact]
Professor Hideki Katagiri
Center for Translational and Advanced Animal Research, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
E-mail: katagiri@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp

Associate Professor Fuji Nagami
Public Relations Office at Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University
Tel: +81 22-717-7891
Fax: +81 22-717-8187
E-mail: pr-office @med.tohoku.ac.jp