Key Summary
- Screening can spot type 1 diabetes before fatal emergencies like diabetic ketoacidosis.
- Early detection protects insulin-producing cells and opens access to new treatments.
- ELSA 2 aims to screen all UK children and offer NHS support clinics.
A study by Diabetes UK has found that early detection of type 1 diabetes among children could help in better management of sugar levels a avoid life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis that needs urgent hospital treatment.
Spotting type 1 diabetes early can save many insulin-making cells from getting destroyed and it could also give children access to new immunotherapy treatments that can delay the need for insulin therapy for years.
Around 17,000 children aged three to 13 were checked as part of early surveillance for autoimmune diabetes (ELSA).
Launched in 2022 by Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, ELSA is the first UK study that sets out to test the feasibility of a childhood screening programme to detect type 1 diabetes early.
Professor Parth Narendran and his team at the University of Birmingham tested blood samples for autoantibodies, which points towards the risk of type 1 diabetes.
More than 37,000 families have already signed up for the type 1 diabetes screening.
“We are extremely grateful to all the families who have participated in the study and generously given their time to help understand how a UK-wide screening programme could be developed,” Professor Narendran said.
Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D are planning for the second phase of the research, ELSA 2, which will be offered to all children in the UK aged 2 to 17 years.
ELSA 2 will also set up new NHS Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetes Clinics, which will provide families taking part in the study with clinical and psychological support.
It will also formulate a clear pathway from screening to diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.
