ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. , Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders in the fields of diabetes and eating disorders from across the U.S. and Canada will convene in

Minneapolis to begin the process of setting international standards for treatment of the dual diagnosis of these two disorders. Organizers want to raise awareness, collect current best practices, define research questions and submit a peer reviewed paper to a major medical journal critically reviewing this field. They also hope to identify international centers for treatment and establish an ongoing collaborative network.

"It's time to get the experts together, not only to review the research, but to learn from each other," says Richard Bergenstal, MD, Executive Director of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet, and co-host of the conference.

Panelists include Ovidio Bermudez, MD from the Laureate Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa; Gary Rodin, MD from Toronto ; William Polonsky, PhD, of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute at the University of California, San Diego ;

Patricia Colton, MD from Toronto General Hospital; Scott Crow, MD from the

University of Minnesota ; Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston ; and Juliet Zuercher, RD, from Remuda Ranch Treatment Centers in Phoenix .

What is "diabulimia"?

The public calls it "diabulimia" and clinicians call it "Dual Diagnosis." Either term describes the potentially deadly combination of diabetes and eating disorders. Patients withhold insulin injections-the drug they need to treat type 1 diabetes-so their bodies will pass the sugars and carbohydrates they eat without processing them. It may make them thin in the short run, but over time it can lead to increased rates of blindness, loss of limbs, kidney disease, heart disease and death. Research shows the mortality rate is 33% (Mortality in Concurrent Type 1 Diabetes and Anorexia Nervosa, Diabetes Care 25:309-312, 2002).

Currently there is no established best-practice protocol for treatment. Patients often go back and forth between specialists in the two areas with little or no coordination. Park Nicollet Health Services-one of the first health systems in the nation to develop a comprehensive combined treatment program-is determined to change that by hosting an international conference to establish new standards for treatment of eating disorders and diabetes. "We want to bring together a team of experts and establish guidelines for the treatment of this potentially lethal illness," says Joel Jahraus, MD, Executive Director of the Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Eating Disorders Institute.

"There is great irony in a dual diagnosis," says Dr. Bergenstal. "Our diabetes patients are taught to count carbohydrates and calories and keep track of what they're eating. But doing that may also trigger an eating disorder." That medical catch-22 is one of the many unique challenges that experts will wrestle with this fall.

"Recently we've seen an increase in numbers of individuals with dual diagnosis illness seeking treatment at the Eating Disorders Institute and the International Diabetes Center," says Dr. Jahraus. "This has caused us to collaborate internally and rethink our approach to the dual diagnosis of an eating disorder and diabetes. Now is the time to bring together a larger audience of clinicians and researchers to develop useable, comprehensive treatment plans. It just can't wait any longer."

For more information, visit: http://www.parknicollet.com/methodist/edi http://www.parknicollet.com/Diabetes

International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet provides world-class diabetes care, education and clinical research to meet the needs of people with diabetes, their families and the health professionals who care for them. Located in suburban Minneapolis , the center is recognized internationally for its range of clinical and educational programs, products and services. International Diabetes Center is part of Park Nicollet Institute, a division of Park Nicollet Health Services.

Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Eating Disorders Institute (EDI) is a nationally recognized program treating people struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. EDI collaborates with each client and family to develop an individualized treatment plan, using a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, including physicians, dietitians, psychologists, psychiatrists and other specialty disciplines. EDI offers a full continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospital program, and outpatient programs.

SOURCE Park Nicollet