Washington and Florida are now screening infants for type 1 diabetes. The two states have begun extensive research programs in an effort to determine which babies have the highest risk of developing type 1 diabetes so that it can be either prevented or treated early before any damage is done.

At the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle, scientists are looking for a genetic marker for type 1 diabetes in blood samples from 32,000 infants. Their goal is to detect the disease ahead of time and intervene with some kind of therapy that will prevent the disease process from continuing. Early diagnosis could ease the disease's impact through insulin treatment and close monitoring of glucose levels.

The University of Florida College of Medicine has announced that it is undertaking a program to screen all newborns for type 1 diabetes. By following high-risk children closely, researchers there hope to discover what causes the genetic possibility for diabetes to become a reality. Their goals include delaying the onset of the disease and seeking ways to prevent it.

Both programs are aiming toward a routine test of newborns that could predict which ones are at risk for type 1 diabetes. Between 500,000 and one million Americans have type 1 diabetes. At this time there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes. Early treatment to control blood glucose does help to preserve those beta cells that are still present at the time of diagnosis, delaying the onset of totally insulin-dependent illness.

Related information Diabetes Basics - diagnosis

Sources:

• American Diabetes Association. Test looks for juvenile diabetes genetic marker. In the News, March 19, 2002.
• American Diabetes Association. New Florida program to offer diabetes screening to all newborns. In the News, Jan. 4, 2002.