25
Aug 2020
Scientists able to detect early warning signs of type 1 diabetes say heel-prick blood test could predict which children will develop the disease
Scientists say that a heel-prick blood test could predict which children will develop type 1 diabetes, adding that up to 75 per cent of cases could be diagnosed by scouring the blood for biomarkers of the condition.
Currently, children are usually in their mid-teens by the time they are diagnosed with the disease, by which time up to four in ten will have already developed dangerous symptoms.
Heel-prick tests are already used in the UK to detect rare but serious condition, such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis, and now scientists from the University of Exeter and the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle, who jointly conducted the study, are pushing for diabetes to be included in the list of conditions tested for.
In the latest study, taking place in clinical trials at hospitals in Washington, researchers have drawn on data from the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) Study, which followed 7,798 children at high risk of developing the disease from birth over nine years.
Whilst analysing the records, researchers found that children who developed diabetes had high amounts of islet autoantibodies, biomarkers that appear when the pancreas is damaged, in their body. From this information, they say they were able to use this approach to ‘dramatically improve prediction of which children would develop type 1 diabetes.’
Dr Lauric Ferrat at the University of Exeter Medical School, said “At the moment, 40 per cent of children who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have the severe complications of ketoacidosis.
“For the very young this is life-threatening, resulting in long intensive hospitalisations and in some cases even paralysis or death.
“Using our new combined approach to identify which babies will develop diabetes can prevent these tragedies, and ensure children are on the right treatment pathway earlier in life, meaning better health.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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