Nat’l diabetes study on Saipan waiting for DPH approval

Once the Department of Public Health approves a national health study to be conducted on Saipan, up to a thousand participants—who will be paid $25 each—will be able to help find the cause of diabetes and kidney disease.

At least 1,800 individuals on Guam took part in the study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Micronesian Institute for Disease Prevention and Research, in collaboration with other private and public entities.

Dr. Jeff Curtis of the National Institutes of Health, who is now in Guam, said yesterday that Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin P. Villagomez and Commonwealth Health Center administrator Pete Untalan have yet to grant a final approval for the study to be done here.

“Approval from the local agency is very important…We would love to get as many as 1,000 [participants] on Saipan,” Curtis told Saipan Tribune in a phone interview.

Those who are at least 50 percent Chamorros, Carolinians, other Micronesians, and Filipinos qualify to take part in the study, should DPH grants a final approval for it to be conducted here.

Participants must also be at least 18 years old. If women, they should not be pregnant.

“The purpose of this study is to find if there are genes that are responsible for kidney disease in people who have diabetes. As you know, some people with diabetes develop kidney disease…Hopefully, down the road we can come up with preventive measures and treatment but first we have to find what causes it,” said Curtis, who is from Phoenix, Arizona.

Those who will take part in the Family Investigation of Nephropathy and Diabetes, FIND, study will be asked to participate in a 20- to 30-minute interview, and undergo blood pressure and cholesterol measurement, and blood and urine tests for diabetes and kidney disease.

Curtis said the FIND study on Saipan has been tentatively set for April 13 to 21. The dates may either be moved to a later time or cancelled should DPH decides not to grant its approval.

“The people from CNMI Department of Public Health have been very gracious and respectful…Hopefully we can get their approval,” he said.

Dr. Richard Brostrom, medical director for public health, said there’s no word yet from the DPH administration, but said that FIND officials will be on island this week to meet with local health officials and discuss the study.

“The administration of the health department wants to make sure patient safety and confidentiality are protected, and results are consistent with CNMI health policies. It’s an NIH project and we’ll be sure the procedures will be done in a professional manner,” said Brostrom.

The CNMI has been found to have the third largest number of cases of diabetes after Pima Indians and Nauru. Based on 2002 statistics, there are over 3,000 known diabetes patients in the CNMI, mostly Chamorros and Carolinians, and other Pacific islanders.