Thousands to benefit from new type one diabetes screening

A new study is to screen 20,000 UK adults aged 17 to 70 for type 1 diabetes.

The purpose of the project is to identify people who are at increased risk of developing the condition and to offer them support, education and access to new treatments.

Professor Kathleen Gillespie is heading the team from the University of Bristol, which is dispensing the testing kits.

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune condition which experts believe affects around 400,000 people in the UK.  It causes the immune system to destroy cells in the pancreas which produce insulin.  This means that the person can no longer produce their own insulin and their blood sugar levels become dangerously high.

The project has been named Type 1 Diabetes Risk in Adults (T1DRA) and follows from the ‘ELSA’ screening programme for children, making the UK the first country to offer diabetes testing on this level.

The new tests can identify who is at risk by showing the level of proteins which mistakenly mark insulin cells for destruction.  From there, those that show these signs can be contacted by the research team and offered help.

Professor Gillespie said “The research will help us get a much clearer idea of adults at risk, and offer participants the opportunity to participate in clinical trials to prevent the condition.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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