A groundbreaking study has opened the door for screening children for type 1 diabetes to prevent them from facing a sudden diagnosis. NHS clinics for pre-diabetes in children are in the works following the confirmation that finger-prick blood tests can detect the disease before symptoms manifest. This study revealed that children can be diagnosed at the earliest stage of type 1 diabetes, potentially revolutionizing diagnosis and treatment approaches.
Approximately 400,000 individuals in the UK have type 1 diabetes, accounting for about 8% of those with diabetes. Shockingly, a quarter of children diagnosed with type 1 only discover their condition during an emergency. Early identification can provide access to treatments that may delay the need for insulin for several years.
The Early Surveillance for Autoimmune Diabetes (Elsa) study, led by the University of Birmingham and supported by Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, focused on assessing the feasibility of screening in the UK. The results of the first two years of the study have been published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. Children aged three to 13 without type 1 diabetes were invited to participate, providing blood samples for antibody testing. Those identified as at risk of type 1 diabetes underwent further tests, leading to the identification of over 200 children potentially at risk or showing markers for T1D.
The next phase, Elsa 2, will expand the study to include children between two and 17 years old. This phase will run NHS clinics for four years at 20 study sites across the UK, offering support and education to families with children at risk of or already diagnosed with early type 1 diabetes. Additionally, staff will assist children as they begin insulin treatment. Pending approval by the NHS’s spending watchdog, some children may access a new treatment, teplizumab, which can delay the need for insulin therapy.
Lead researcher Professor Parth Narendran, a diabetes medicine expert at the University of Birmingham, envisions a future where screening programs prevent children from experiencing a sudden diabetes diagnosis. He believes that treatments like teplizumab, along with upcoming options, could potentially keep children in the early stages of type 1 diabetes without the need for insulin therapy, representing a significant advancement in diabetes care.
Source: Sky News