The World's Longest-lived Insulin-dependent Diabetic | Asweetlife
Last week marked the death of a person most of us have never heard of: a Canadian woman named Sheila Thorn. While she may not have been a household name, Ms. Thorn will be appreciated by anyone living with Type 1: she was one of the very first people to receive artificial insulin from none other than Frederick Banting himself. According to Diabetes UK, that made her likely to be the worlds longest-lived insulin-dependent diabetic (in the sense that she was an insulin-dependent diabetic who actually received insulin!). Its sad that shes gone I would have loved to have interviewed her about her experience watching technology change over her lifetime (by the time she died, she was on a pump). But if nothing else, reading about her life inspired me to reflect on just how much has changed over the past 90 years since insulin was discovered and just how recent that discovery was. Caught up in the daily frustrations of glucose management, I often lose sight of the fact that if Id had this disease just a hundred years ago, I wouldnt have survived. Lets hope that the progress of the next hundred years is just as dramatic. Heres a brief obituary of Ms. Thorn, from the BBC. Continue reading >>
Fayetteville Man Recognized For Living More Than 80 Years With Type 1 Diabetes
Fayetteville man recognized for living more than 80 years with type 1 diabetes Spencer Wallace, 89, of Fayetteville, was recently awarded a medal by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston for living more than 80 years with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes. (Michelle Gabel/[email protected]) Syracuse, N.Y. - An 89-year-old Fayetteville man may be the world's oldest survivor of type 1 diabetes. Spencer Wallace was diagnosed with the disease at age 7 and has been injecting insulin ever since to stay alive. "I'm a human pin cushion," said Wallace, the retired manager of the Hotel Syracuse . Wallace was recognized earlier this month by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, which awarded him the first Joslin Medal for living 80 years with insulin-dependent diabetes. Since 1990, Joslin has awarded more than 2,500 50-year medals and more than 50 75-year medals to diabetics. Wallace is the first person to receive the new 80-year medal. Type 1 diabetes was a fatal disease before the advent of insulin in 1922. When Wallace was diagnosed, insulin was not as advanced as it is today. There were no blood sugar monitors or other tools now used to help manage the disease. "It's extraordinarily unusual for someone who developed diabetes more than 80 years ago to still be with us," said Dr. Ruth Weinstock, medical director of the Upstate Joslin Diabetes Center in Syracuse, one of 40 U.S. affiliates of the Joslin center in Boston. Many insulin-dependent diabetics of Wallace's generation died prematurely from heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and other complications, she said. The prognosis for people diagnosed today with type 1 diabetes is much better because there's more technology available to help them control the condition, she said. Jeff Bright, a spokesman for the Joslin center Continue reading >>
Longest Surviving Type 1 Diabetes Sufferer Tells Her Story
Longest surviving type 1 diabetes sufferer tells her story New Zealand is home to the world's longest survivors of type 1 diabetes. Eighty-four-year-old Winsome Johnston has defied the odds, in more ways than one. Ms Johnston is always has lots of people to buy presents for around Christmas four generations, in fact. But none of this was meant to happen. They told me if I remember rightly, the doctors, that my life wouldn't be that long, she says. Ms Johnston was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six. Her sister had it too, but died at the age of 16. Now, aged 84, Ms Johnston's the longest surviving person with type 1 diabetes in the world. She's had it for 78 years. I was determined in those days to do what I wanted to do and hopefully it would help me with the little bit of knowledge that I had. She was told she would never have kids. But she's had four, including twins. And now she has eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and another one on the way. Rab Burton also has type 1 diabetes and is Ms Johnston's diabetes nurse. She is his number one patient, having never missed an appointment in eight years. I've learned so much from her, he says. And every day I tell her story to people. Mr Burton says the key to Ms Johnston's remarkable health is quite simple: discipline. He says the main problem for diabetics is keeping up with the unrelenting task of monitoring every single thing they eat. He says he's never met someone as strict and determined as Ms Johnston. She followed everything to the book. I think that's her secret. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 2 has reached epidemic proportions in New Zealand. That's often caused by poor diet or obesity. But no one knows what causes type 1, which is what Ms Johnston's got. And that's on the r Continue reading >>
Many Type 1 Diabetics Living With Disease 50-plus Years, Study Seeks To Know Why
Many type 1 diabetics living with disease 50-plus years, study seeks to know why Sheryl Ubelacker I Toronto Star, Thursday May 22, 2014 Thats a refrain thats become increasingly common among people with Type 1 diabetes, many of whom were told as children or teens that their lives would likely be shortened due to a complication of the disease, such like kidney failure, heart attack or a stroke. But a growing number of diabetics have defied the odds, living with the disease for 50 years or more and often remaining otherwise healthy and a Canadian study is underway to find out the secrets to their longevity. We are now seeing that people with Type 1 diabetes can live for a lot longer than we had initially thought, says Dr. Bruce Perkins, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto who is heading the national study. Endocrinologist Dr. Bruce Perkins with Type 1 diabetic patient Mary Cringan at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital (Photo: Chris Young/The Canadian Press) It is true, what Ive learned from talking to people whove had diabetes for many, many decades, that is what they were told when they were children: Youre not going to be the one thats going to lead a full life and you are likely going to have these problems, Perkins says. And theres an amazing sort of mentality that a lot of these patients have because they went through their lives believing that or fighting that. The Canadian Study for Longevity in Type 1 Diabetes, which began about a year ago and has so far enrolled about 300 patients, asks participants to fill out a detailed questionnaire and to provide the results of their most recent lab tests and eye exam. The researchers want to look at their insulin use; whether they self-inject or use an insulin pump; and if a family doctor or endocrinologist, a Continue reading >>
Longest Living Type 1 Diabetic
Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community I am diabetic type 1 for 25 years. Have been working in OAP residential homes for a long time, and have never had a type 1 diabetic as a resident...... So I have got thinking...does anybody know of the oldest living person with type 1 diabetes over 25 years living with it. Obviously, I am worrying why I have never had anybody in the care homes, is it because we don't live that long? Does anybody know or is themselves the oldest living person with diabetes type 1 longer than 25 years? My aunt has been diabetic since she was 38yrs old, shes now a 73yr old, who goes to volleyball on thursday nights, still cleans her windows, does her own shopping by bus and is still very young at heart. Has aches and pains, but im 40 and i get them! So shes been diabetic for 35yrs and hopes that her headstone reads worn out, not done in by diabetes. I've been type 1 for 37 years-and hope I've got many years left as I'm only 42-I met a lady who had been Type 1 for 52 years and had no complications at all !! interesting post though. My mum is 75, Had type 1 since 1 year old, So for 74 years! She has catracts,glaucoma, and level 5 kidney faliure! Bless her! Here are some examples of people who have lived a long time with type I. You won't find any much older as the first use of insulin wasn't until 1922. From the UK: Monica Winn, 85 in 2005, diagnosed at age 8 in 1927, 4 years after the introduction of insulin to the UK From the US:Robert Cleveland, more than 78 years with type 1 diabetes, and his brother Gerald Cleveland, 72 years with the disease Lois Jovanovic, A well know doctor in California, who specialises in treating diabetic mothers,is a T1 and granddauhter of the Continue reading >>
People With Type 1 Diabetes Are Living Longer
Better blood sugar control may be the key to longer survival Ninety years ago, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence: half of people who developed it died within two years; more than 90% were dead within five years. Thanks to the introduction of insulin therapy in 1922, and numerous advances since then, many people with type 1 diabetes now live into their 50s and beyond. But survival in this group still falls short of that among people without diabetes. A Scottish study published this week in JAMA shows that at the age of 20, individuals with type 1 diabetes on average lived 12 fewer years than 20-year-olds without it. A second study in the same issue of JAMA showed that people with type 1 diabetes with better blood sugar control lived longer than those with poorer blood sugar control. Types of diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. This usually happens before age 20. Insulin is needed to get blood sugar (glucose) into cells for energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. This damages cells and tissues throughout the body. People who develop type 1 diabetes need to take insulin via shots or a pump for life. Type 2 diabetes tends to occur later in life, usually among individuals who are overweight or inactive. It accounts for about 90% of all diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes often make enough insulin, at least at first, but their cells don’t respond to it. As with type 1 diabetes, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, damaging cells and tissues throughout the body. Type 2 diabetes is initially treated with lifestyle changes such as weight loss, more exercise, and a healthier diet. Medications that make the Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Linked To Lower Life Expectancy
HealthDay Reporter today lose more than a decade of life to the chronic disease, despite improved treatment of both diabetes and its complications, a new Scottish study reports. Men with type 1 diabetes lose about 11 years of life expectancy compared to men without the disease. And, women with type 1 diabetes have their lives cut short by about 13 years, according to a report published in the Jan. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings "provide a more up-to-date quantification of how much type 1 diabetes cuts your life span now, in our contemporary era," said senior author Dr. Helen Colhoun, a clinical professor in the diabetes epidemiology unit of the University of Dundee School of Medicine in Scotland. Diabetes' impact on heart health appeared to be the largest single cause of lost years, according to the study. But, the researchers also found that type 1 diabetics younger than 50 are dying in large numbers from conditions caused by issues in management of the disease -- diabetic coma caused by critically low blood sugar, and ketoacidosis caused by a lack of insulin in the body. "These conditions really reflect the day-to-day challenge that people with type 1 diabetes continue to face, how to get the right amount of insulin delivered at the right time to deal with your blood sugar levels," Colhoun said. A second study, also in JAMA, suggested that some of these early deaths might be avoided with intensive blood sugar management. In that paper, researchers reduced patients' overall risk of premature death by about a third, compared with diabetics receiving standard care, by conducting multiple blood glucose tests throughout the day and constantly adjusting insulin levels to hit very specific blood sugar levels. "Across the board, indiv Continue reading >>
What Is The Life Expectancy For Diabetics?
Diabetes is recognized as one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. There was a time when Type 2 diabetes was common in people in their late forties and fifties. However, thanks to the easy availability of processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, poor sleep and a host of other unfavorable factors, type 2 diabetes affects millions of young adults throughout the globe today. A report was commissioned in 2010 by the National Academy on an Aging Society. It showed that diabetes cut off an average of 8.5 years from the lifespan of a regular, diabetic 50-year-old as compared to a 50-year-old without the disease. This data was provided by the Health and Retirement Study, a survey of more than 20,000 Americans over the age of 50, done every two years by the University of Michigan. Characterized by high blood glucose levels, T2D can be the result of a combination of genes, obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. If left untreated, diabetes can be life-threatening. Complications of this disease can take a serious toll on a patient’s health and well-being. So, how long do diabetics live, you ask? Does having diabetes shorten one’s life? Let’s address these questions, one by one. MORE: Decoding The Dawn Phenomenon (High Morning Blood Sugar) How Long Do Diabetics Live? Diabetes is a system-wide disorder which is categorized by elevated blood glucose levels. This blood travels throughout the human body and when it is laden with sugar, it damages multiple systems. When the condition is left unchecked or is managed poorly, the lifespan of diabetic patients is reduced due to constant damage. Early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes for preventing its long-term complications is the best coping strategy. So, don’t ignore your doctor’s advice if you’re pre-diabeti Continue reading >>
World's Oldest Diabetic? Bob Krause Turns 90
World's oldest diabetic? Bob Krause turns 90 Almost 19 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and another seven million have it but don't know it. The metabolic disease can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, and other medical problems, and is often severe enough to shave years off the lifespan. But trim, white-haired Bob Krause, who turned 90 last week, is still going strong. The San Diego resident is believed to be the oldest diabetic ever. What's his secret? "I'm a stubborn old man," he told the Associated Press. "I refuse to give up." Krause says he's lived a long life because he treats his body like a car, eating only enough food to fuel the machine. "To keep your diabetes under control, you only eat the food you need to before you have activities to perform," he said. "I eat to keep me alive instead of eating all the time, or for pleasure." And the former college professor tests his blood up to a dozen times a day, bringing updated charts of his condition to every doctor visit. Before insulin became available in 1926, a diabetes diagnosis was a death sentence. Children with diabetes often died within a few years - even if their parents put them on near-starvation diets to buy them time. Bob's younger brother was one diabetic to die young. "I watched Jackie die by starving to death," he said. "Before insulin, diabetics would just die because eating doesn't make any difference: anything that you ate couldn't be converted and you literally starved to death because your body couldn't absorb anything." "Bob has outlived the life expectation of a normal healthy person born in 1921," said his doctor, Patricia Wu. "He knows that he has to deal with this, and he sees this as a part of his life. He doesn't let this get him down." When Krause first start Continue reading >>
Why Do Some Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Live So Long?
Go to: Abstract While the lifespan of people with type 1 diabetes has increased progressively since the advent of insulin therapy, these patients still experience premature mortality, primarily from cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, a subgroup of those with type 1 diabetes survives well into old age without significant morbidity. It is the purpose of this review to explore the factors which may help in identifying these patients. It might be expected that hyperglycaemia plays a major role in explaining the increased incidence of CVD and mortality of these individuals. However, while a number of publications have associated poor long term glycaemic control with an increase in both all-cause mortality and CVD in those with type 1 diabetes, it is apparent that good glycaemic control alone cannot explain why some patients with type 1 diabetes avoid fatal CVD events. Lipid disorders may occur in those with type 1 diabetes, but the occurrence of elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol is positively associated with longevity in this population. Non-renal hypertension, by itself is a significant risk factor for CVD but if adequately treated does not appear to mitigate against longevity. However, the presence of nephropathy is a major risk factor and its absence after 15-20 years of diabetes appears to be a marker of long-term survival. One of the major factors linked with long-term survival is the absence of features of the metabolic syndrome and more specifically the presence of insulin sensitivity. Genetic factors also play a role, with a family history of longevity and an absence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in the family being important considerations. There is thus a complex interaction between multiple risk factors in determining which patients with type Continue reading >>
America's Longest Living Man With Type 1 Diabetes Turns 90
Despite the advances in diabetes medications, individuals who have type 1 diabetes have a lower life expectancy than the average person because even with proper diabetes management, they have a higher risk of experiencing life-threatening health complications, such as heart disease and stroke. However, one San Diego man has defied these odds. Bob Krause, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 5, recently turned 90 years old, making him the longest living man with the disease in the U.S., according to an article published by Fox News. Krause told the news provider that his brother died from type 1 diabetes only a year after being told he had the disease, since insulin injections had not been invented at that time. This made Krause feel lucky that he had access to diabetes treatments that his sibling did not, and encouraged him to be meticulous with his diabetes management. He said that he has lived this long by treating his body like a car and only consuming enough food to gain the energy he needs to perform daily tasks. "To keep your diabetes under control you only eat the food you need to before you have activities to perform. I eat to keep me alive instead of eating all the time, or for pleasure," Krause said, quoted by the news source. His family and healthcare providers also vouched for Krause's diligent diabetes management. One endocrinologist, Patricia Wu, MD, told the news organization that he always comes to their appointments carrying a briefcase full of detailed graphs that depict his blood sugar levels, caloric intake and insulin doses over the previous months. Krause's son, who also has type 1 diabetes, said that his father keeps a box of sugar cubes next to his bed in case he experiences nocturnal hyperglycemia - low blood sugar levels during Continue reading >>
Type 1 For 86 Years - Type 1 And Lada - Tudiabetes Forum
Perhaps the longest living Type 1 person in the world.Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 3, Lillian Stamps has defeated the illness by using insulin daily for the past 86 years. According to Dr. Kariampuhza, Ms. Stamps endocrinologist, she could be the longest living person with diabetes. Lillian was diagnosed around a time when different medications were being discovered to help with diabetes, said Dr. Kariampuhza. She had been put on every medication to help treat it, she was diagnosed at age 3 and insulin was discovered in 1921. Born in 1926, Ms. Stamps remembers her childhood as being a difficult one, where she was put on all different kinds of insulin that were newly invented back in the 20s. Her parents kept her insulin cool in the water well in the front yard because refrigerators were expensive. They didnt have all the things to check your blood sugar like they do now, said Ms. Stamps. You used to have to test urine, and when it was blue or green that meant it was low and I would get to eat something. Ms. Stamps was given an award for living with Type 1 diabetes for 75 years and will be getting another one this year for 80 years - for recognition of exceptional achievement in living courageously with diabetes for more than 80 years, from the Joslin Diabetes Center, the worlds largest research center in Boston Massachusetts. Diabetes affects many organs, usually people will die due to the complications from diabetes, said Dr. Kariampuhza. I have nominated her and arranged for her to receive medals for living with diabetes for this long. Dr. Kariampuhza has written to the American Diabetes Association three times to nominate Ms. Stamps to receive a medal for 25 years, 50 years and now 75 years for being committed to her health and managing her diabetes for 86 Continue reading >>
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Man Celebrates 85 Years Of Living With Diabetes
When Bob Krause turned 90 last week, it was by virtue of an unflagging determination and a mentality of precision that kept his body humming after being diagnosed with diabetes as a boy. A leading diabetes research center named the San Diego resident the first American known to live 85 years with the disease, a life that has paralleled — and benefited from — the evolution in treatment. Krause's wife of 56 years, his family and friends celebrated his longevity Sunday with a party and a medal from the Joslin Diabetes Center to commemorate his 85-year milestone. "Bob has outlived the life expectation of a normal healthy person born in 1921," said his physician, Dr. Patricia Wu, attributing Krause's success to his strong character. "He knows that he has to deal with this and he sees this as a part of his life, he doesn't let this get him down." The trim, white-haired Krause puts it more succinctly: "I'm a stubborn old man. I refuse to give up." That trait certainly plays into how closely he has tracked his body's chemistry and become expert in the life-saving math that has kept his diabetes under control. About 18.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and an estimated 7 million more live with the disease unwittingly. Krause's form of diabetes, type 1, was once known more commonly as juvenile diabetes, and the more common form of diabetes often tied to obesity is type 2. About 3 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes, a chronic illness in which their bodies don't make enough insulin, which is needed to convert blood sugar into energy. The exact cause is unknown, though genetics and autoimmune problems are thought to play a role. Life expectancy is diminished for many diabetics because they face a higher risk of serious health complications, including Continue reading >>
Longest Living Type 1 Diabetics
With a positive attitude and daily exercise, people have managed to live 70 to 85 years with type 1 diabetes. Every story that Ive read talks about their restrictive diet. Robert Krause who, up to my knowledge has been the longest living diabetic ever, ate the same thing every day. a cup of nuts, five prunes, and a piece of whole wheat bread with cheese for breakfast, and a salad with beans for dinner, he skipped lunch. I havent heard of any long living diabetic that has followed ADA standards. Why is that? D.D. Family T1 since 1977 - using Novolog in an Animas pump. People who have lived that long with T1 would have spent most of their time with it under "conventional treatment". In other words, they injected NPH/Regular and structured their meals around a regular 24 hourly insulin action schedule. With modern basal/bolus insulins and delivery methods (pumps), that is not necessary anymore. Having said that, I agree that the ADA diet is not suitable for many of us I think you will see a lot more people in this generation living that long with T1 because of all of the advances in diabetes care. Someone born in 1927 would have had to eat a very restrictive diet because of the lack of care and knowledge in those days, that may not be necessary for him today. I bet if you took a survey of every living person over 90 years old and asked them what they eat. The huge majority's diet would look a lot like the ADA type of diet. With today's advances in diabetes care, if I can eat that "balanced" diet and keep my bgs under control, what would make me want to eat a restrictive diet? Now I realize a lot of diabetics cant eat that diet without raising their bgs out of control, so this does not apply to them of course. Continue reading >>
Gladys Dull: At 90, Living Well With Type 1 Diabetes For 83 Years
Dr. Sheri Colberg’s new book came out this month. 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes. is just what the title says. This week she lets us know about Gladys Dull, a Walla Walla, Washington resident who has been using insulin since 1924. Although the Cleveland brothers’ (Bob and Gerald) joint longevity is impressive, a woman equally deserving of admiration is Gladys Dull, a Walla Walla, Washington resident since 1938 who has been on insulin injections just slightly longer than Bob Cleveland has—since November of 1924, a couple of months before she turned seven years old. To our knowledge, she is the longest-living person with diabetes to date. Born in North Dakota, she lost her birth parents during a flu epidemic in 1920 when she was only three years old. Fortunately, she and one of her sisters were soon adopted and raised by some neighbors who were part of the farming community there. She remembers feeling sick before her diagnosis and needing to urinate all the time. After traveling the nine miles from where they lived in the country to the nearest doctor, she was diagnosed with diabetes, but the small-town doctor didn’t know how to treat it. He suggested that her adoptive parents take her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, which they consented to do. Gladys remembers the long train trip from her home to the clinic, where she was immediately admitted to the hospital for treatment with the newly available, Lilly-made insulin. “I remember the first shot I got and being scared of it,” Gladys recalls more than eight decades later. “The needles back then were a lot more painful than they are now—and a lot more expensive.” Her mother had to go to classes at the Mayo Clinic to learn what to do for her, including weighing wax figures Continue reading >>
