Teams based at Edinburgh’s Western General and Royal Infirmary are looking for people to be part of research into the causes of type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes affects one in 18 people in Scotland and has become the most expensive condition for the NHS to manage. Around 5,000 people live with type one and 37,000 with type 2 diabetes in the area covered by NHS Lothian alone. As well as the risks of not managing their sugar levels, the condition can damage people’s hearts, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys.

Volunteers are being sought for a number of new trials, including INNODIA – a Europe wide study recruiting people with newly diagnosed type one diabetes and unaffected family members.

Two of the trials being run by the Western General hospital research team will aim to improve the health of patients who develop complications as a result of their diabetes.

NHS Lothian's diabetes research team are encouraging people to join the NHS Research Scotland diabetes research register.

Lesley Steven, specialist research nurse at the Western General says one of their areas is in how diabetes affects people’s kidneys:

"Recruitment in clinical trials is often challenging, particularly in diabetes renal studies. Renal patients often have limited treatment options, so trials in this area are vital to allow access to new drugs that would otherwise not be available to them."

Meanwhile Alison Sudworth, diabetes specialist research nurse across the city at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, says other people might want to be considered for the GoDarts genetics of diabetes study that has been rolled out from its first launch in Tayside:

"Getting more people involved in diabetes research will help make inroads into understanding the disease and create new treatments."