"All UK children could be offered screening for type 1 diabetes using a simple finger-prick blood test, say researchers who have been running a large study. Currently, many young people go undiagnosed and risk developing a life-threatening complication called diabetic ketoacidosis that needs urgent hospital treatment. Identifying diabetes earlier could help avoid this and mean treatments to control problematic blood sugar levels can be given sooner."
"Imogen is now trying a new type of drug designed to delay her diabetes. It's an immunotherapy called teplizumab that helps calm her immune system to slow its attack of her pancreas. In trials, the drug has been shown to delay the onset of diabetes by about three years, on average. It is not yet widely available on the NHS. Imogen is only the second child in the UK to get it."
All UK children could be offered screening for type 1 diabetes using a simple finger-prick blood test. Many young people currently go undiagnosed and risk developing life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis requiring urgent hospital treatment. Identifying diabetes earlier could avoid ketoacidosis and allow earlier treatments to control problematic blood sugar levels. Some 17,000 children aged three to 13 have been checked as part of the ELSA (Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes) study, funded by diabetes charities. Families found early receive ongoing support. One 12-year-old, Imogen, is receiving teplizumab immunotherapy that has delayed diabetes onset by about three years in trials.
Read at www.bbc.com
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