Bad bone marrow cause diabetic neuropathy

HOUSTON, Aug 22, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Researchers say malfunctioning bone marrow cells that produce insulin appear to cause a dangerous nerve condition called neuropathy in diabetics.

Diabetic neuropathy disables many people, said a research team involving the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan, and the University of Chicago.

The finding not only provides a basis for understanding the dangerous nerve condition, but might eventually lead to a treatment, said Dr. Lawrence Chan, chief of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism at BCM. It may even provide an explanation for some of the other complications associated with the disease.

"These insulin-producing bone marrow cells are like terrorists that infiltrate the nerve-cell populations," he said. They produce proteins that can kill or subvert the purposes of nerve cells "almost like a suicide bomb," said Chan.

Diabetes mellitus, which afflicts roughly 18 million Americans, is a major health problem affecting multiple organs and tissues. Neuropathy is a common complication that causes pain and ultimately loss of sensation in the extremities and can lead to amputation.

The study appears in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.