Newly discovered gene is linked to hypoglycemia
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People who need help controlling their blood sugar while living on a budget could save money if they buy Canadian Actos. Diabetics who are not careful about monitoring their glucose levels risk developing hypoglycemia. Others who are likely to have this condition, which may cause fatigue and other symptoms, include people who are genetically inclined to have low blood sugar. New research has identified a possible gene linked to severe hypoglycemia.
Besides diabetics and people who produce abnormally high levels of insulin, hypoglycemia affects one out of every 100,000 people born with a genetic mutation that causes chronically low blood sugar, according to researchers at the UK's University of Cambridge. These patients' diets often need to be supplemented with a feeding tube during sleep to control symptoms.
The research team examined the DNA of three children who have this disease. All three subjects, but none of their parents, had a mutation in their AKT2 gene. The AKT2 enzyme is responsible for carrying insulin's signal to the body's tissues, the researchers said. A mutation that leaves the gene partly activated all the time could lead to hypoglycemia and might therefore also be a target for new medicines. Furthermore, drugs in development to target AKT1, a related molecule associated with the risk of cancer, could also have an effect on AKT2.
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