‘Yes’ to preventing type 1 diabetes

I read with excitement Debbie Andalo’s piece about administering oral insulin to children at risk of developing type 1 diabetes (
The Pharmaceutical Journal

2015;29
4:472) but was somewhat baffled by Victoria Ruszala’s comment: “Would you want to give your baby oral insulin just because they may develop diabetes?”

My mother was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of four. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six. I did not marry until I was much too old to consider having children but had this not been the case my answer to any hope of my child being spared diabetes would have been “yes”.

Diabetes is a constant challenge, predisposing sufferers to all sorts of other health issues. No one would wish to pass it on to a child if there were any chance of avoiding it. I know that, for my mother, having passed the condition on to me caused her a lot of pain, more than having the condition herself.

Obviously determining who exactly is at risk is a challenge, and the genetics are not exactly clear. There is a long way to go regarding safety, long-term effects, etc, with oral insulin, but this could be a wonderful breakthrough.

Susan Gulliver

Salisbury