The cross-border initiative focused on defence against diabetes

Type One Diabetes

Diabetes results from abnormal activity of the body's immune system and it is on the rise in European children and adolescents. A European research project aims to find out why the cleanliness long assumed to be the best defence against this disease could actually be the cause of it.

The project, DIABIMMUNE, was prompted by a Nordic mystery: why is it that Finland – which has some of the highest living standards and healthcare in the world – also has the highest incidence of diabetes in the world? And why are infection rates six times lower across the border in Karelia in North-western Russia, where living standards are much lower than the European average? DIABIMMUNE aims to find out why the cleanliness long assumed to be the best defence against this disease could actually be the cause of it.

Have a look here: DIABIMMUNE