Wierd story from Boston

The Boston Globe carried the following story on Sunday, Sept. 26. Though I didn't find anything scientific about it, I thought it was interesting enough to share.

One quick note for our friends in Boston: You can't catch diabetes. It's not a contagious disease, like say tuberculosis or even AIDS. I'm thinking the school buildling probably isn't the problem here, but that's just my guess. I'll keep you updated on any new developments.

Some suspect school building in student diabetes cases
Mayor asks state to probe possible link

By Maureen Costello, Globe Correspondent | September 26, 2004

The diagnoses of Type 1 diabetes in seven students who attended the Goodyear Elementary School have prompted Woburn officials to ask for the state's help in investigating whether environmental factors in or near the building may have contributed to the children's sickness.

"There is some concern," said Mayor John C. Curran, who last month asked the state's Department of Public Health to investigate a possible link between the diagnoses and the condition of the 77-year-old school, where 231 students attend kindergarten through Grade 5. "I think it's highly unlikely that it's the school, but we're going to check it out. We're just trying to rule everything out."

Nicole St. Peter, a spokeswoman for the state public health department, confirmed that a preliminary assessment of the building was conducted Sept. 2 and final results are expected soon. Families and school officials will receive a copy of the findings.

Coincidentally, a new elementary school opened this month, allowing some families to send their children to another school. Parents Tammie Brinkley, Justine Cromer, and Kristin Ahearn opted out of Goodyear, claiming the physical condition of the building may be responsible for triggering Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, in their boys.

"We were looking for a common denominator, and all information pointed that way," said Brinkley, whose son Tyler, 7, was diagnosed in June, and son Christian, 5, was diagnosed two months later. Christian began kindergarten at the new Malcolm White School this year, but his mother said he spent a week at the Goodyear during a kindergarten readiness program last winter.

Brinkley and Cromer said there is no history of diabetes in their families. But Ahearn said her cousin's son was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago and noted that she, her cousin, and Brinkley grew up in East Woburn. When Ahearn's son Kyle, 13, was diagnosed in January 2003 and her other son, Ethan, 9, was diagnosed in June, she began to think that their neighborhood had something to do with the disease.

But Ahearn said last month's diagnosis of Cromer's child, Nick, 9, undermined that theory. Cromer and her family moved to Woburn from Seattle in July 2003. Cromer said her son began experiencing allergy-like symptoms after entering Goodyear, and became unable to quench his thirst beginning in June. Excessive thirst and frequent urination are typical symptoms of Type 1 diabetes.

"I truly believe it's a complicated combination of the environment and stress," said Cromer.

None of these five students is attending Goodyear this year. The two other students who were diagnosed with diabetes continue to attend the school. School officials would not identify these students.

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which is used to transfer sugar from the blood to fuel the cells. Once diagnosed, the disease means a lifetime of dependency on insulin shots. Complications may include blindness, kidney failure, amputation of lower extremities, and a life expectancy 15 years shorter than average.

The cause is not yet known, but genetics do play a factor, though not in as simple a pattern as inheriting brown eyes, said James H. Warram, an investigator at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School.

"There is overwhelming evidence, no question, that genetics is suspected, but only about 5 to 10 percent of the people who are susceptible get it," he said. "There is no one trigger, but probably a whole sequence of triggers."

Diet and cold temperatures are two factors that could trigger diabetes, Warram said. He also cited a theory by British researcher Edwin Gale that suggests extremely clean environments could contribute to Type 1 diabetes. "Now, I'm sure these mothers aren't going to want to hear that," said Warram, who added that exposure to many types of bacteria helps develop healthy immune systems.

Warram said the cluster of cases in Woburn ''is definitely higher than average, but it's one of the most common childhood diseases."

On average, the onset of Type 1 diabetes affects one out of 100 people before age 70, and typically three out of 1,000 people are stricken before age 20. Boys, especially teens, are more susceptible, said Warram, who cautioned that the cluster in Woburn may stem from mere chance rather than a common trigger. He said it takes years for the pancreas to break down, so it is unlikely these boys, who must have been genetically predisposed to get the disease, all experienced the same trigger.

Still, Warram said, environment is an important factor. ''The environment is somehow or other getting worse for these kids."

Superintendent of Schools Carl R. Batchelder said that 15 of the city's 4,700 students have Type 1 diabetes, a ratio he likened to the national average. However, he took the parents' concerns seriously and accompanied the state investigator on rounds of the building early this month. School officials also sent a letter about the concern to all Goodyear parents before school opened for the year, Batchelder said.

Batchelder said, besides diabetes, he has seen a rise in a number of other childhood illnesses, such as nut allergies, in his 10 years with the city. This has prompted officials to hire a full-time nurse for every school building.

Youngsters with Type 1 diabetes must have their sugar and insulin levels constantly monitored, and their insulin dosage calculated by the amount of sugar and carbohydrates they eat. ''It's major math, and my youngest couldn't do it," said Ahearn, adding that Ethan must visit the school nurse at least four times a day for monitoring, and Kyle spends his lunch period there.

The children also have to beware of treats and other foods they come across at school, friends' homes, and other locations. Before their diagnoses, Ahearn said, neither child ever visited the nurse.