细胞移植治疗糖尿病遇尴尬

 

　　"首先我得承认，要达到整个胰脏移植的效果还有很长的路要走，"夏普罗博士承认，但是他接着说，他依然期待在几年的时间里细胞灌输可以赶上整个胰脏器官移植的效果。然而，缺少胰脏捐献者将是一个不利因素。

 

　　Dr. Bromberg said that for most diabetics, new forms of insulin, insulin pumps and glucose monitors were improving control of the disease so much that it would be hard to justify the risks of a transplant and lifelong immune-suppressing drugs.

 

　　布隆伯格博士说，对于大多数糖尿病患者，新的合成胰岛素、胰岛素泵和血糖监测仪大量使用，用来改善对疾病的监控，但这也使得判断细胞移植和终生使用免疫抑制药物的风险变得困难。

 

　　Cell transplants are being studied primarily in people with Type 1 diabetes, which affects about a million people in the United States. It occurs when a person's immune system, for unknown reasons, attacks the pancreas cells that make insulin.

 

　　细胞移植的研究首先是在I型糖尿病患者身上进行的，患这种疾病的人在美国大约有100万人。这一疾病是由于某种不确知的原因致使免疫系统损害产生胰岛素的胰岛细胞所致。

 

　　Type 2 diabetes is different, and far more common, affecting about 20 million in the United States. Patients produce insulin, but their bodies cannot use it properly. The disease is genetic, but often develops only when someone who has the genes for it also becomes overweight. Type 2 is increasing in many countries as obesity rises. （Type 1 is not linked to obesity.）

 

　　II型糖尿病则不同，也更加普遍，在美国大约有2000万患者。患者能够分泌胰岛素，但却不能正常地使用这些胰岛素。这种疾病是遗传所致，但是通常只在带有致病遗传基因同时也体重超标的人才会患这种疾病。II型糖尿病随着肥胖症的增加在很多国家也有所增加。I型糖尿病与肥胖症无关。

 

　　Both forms of the disease can have devastating consequences, including blindness, kidney failure and circulatory problems that can lead to amputations.

 

　　两种疾病都可能导致灾难性的后果，包括失明、肾衰竭和导致的截肢的循环系统疾病。