Profiles of 13 Type 1 Lilly Insulin 50-year Award Winners at the Diabetes Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine

Abstract

As of 2013, a total of 66 patients have won the Lilly Insulin 50-year Award, which has been granted annually in Japan since 2003. Of these 66 patients, 16 (24 %) (13 with type 1 diabetes, two with type 2 diabetes and one with another type of diabetes) are visiting or have visited the Diabetes Center at the Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine on an outpatient basis. The average HbA1c value in patients with type 1 diabetes from 1983 to 2013 was 8.4 %. A total of 10 patients (77 %) had hypertension and five patients (38 %) had dyslipidemia. Meanwhile, two patients (15 %) had no retinopathy and nine patients (69 %) underwent photocoagulation, whereas no patients had proliferative retinopathy. In addition, six patients (46 %) showed abnormal urine albumin levels; however, no patients progressed to Stage 4 (renal failure) diabetic nephropathy. In terms of medical history, four patients (31 %) had a cerebrovascular disorder and one patient (8 %) had coronary artery disease. The subjects suffered from various diseases, including diabetes, and have overcome an extremely poor environment to lead a normal daily life with insulin treatment.