Thousands sought for major diabetes study

The study is looking for patients who have been diagnosed in the last two years

A major Tayside-based diabetes study into how the disease develops is looking to recruit up to 6,000 new patients from across Scotland.

The GoDARTS study seeks Scottish diabetes patients who have been diagnosed within the past two years.

Researchers hope to identify why there is a variation in the way diabetes progresses in different patients.

The study has built a database of information over the last 20 years which is available to researchers.

Professor of diabetic medicine at Dundee University, Ewan Pearson, who is leading the study, said: "This is a new phase of recruitment to GoDARTS which will give us valuable insight into why diabetes is more aggressive in some patients than others, and how we can predict who is most at risk from diabetes when they are diagnosed."

The study began recruiting patients in Tayside and Glasgow and is now rolling out to Fife, Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, and Aberdeen.

Patients who join the study are asked to make one or two visits to a local practice, each lasting about 30 minutes.

Prof Pearson said the contribution of patients was vital to the success of this kind of research into diabetes.

He said: "The response from the public to our research over many years has been exceptional and has directly led to great advances in our understanding and treatment of diabetes.

"What we envisage is a future where when someone is diagnosed with diabetes we can better predict the effect the disease is going to have on them, and therefore how we can best manage and treat it."