Rates of Type 1 Diabetes is on the Rise

The rates of new type 1 diabetes are increasing, especially among Black and Hispanic youth. Many people don’t develop the disease until later in life — and upwards of 85% of people with T1D have no family history of the disease. A new at-home test will be available for everyone who is interested in seeing if they have antibodies that indicate an immune mediated diabetes.

Signs of Type 1 Diabetes

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss
• Exhaustion
• New bedwetting (especially at night)

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For many families, the symptoms of type 1 diabetes come out of the blue and can be missed or attributed to other illnesses. This lack of awareness can delay life-saving treatment for type 1 diabetes.

The Juvenile Diabetes Resource Foundation (JDRF) in collaboration with Enable Bioscience has developed an at-home test so families can detect if there are antibodies for type 1. This test includes measurement of GAD, ICA and IAA2. The test is easy, simple, and can help save lives.

Diabetes runs in my family, so I did the test

Since immune-mediated diabetes runs in my family, I excitedly ordered my test kit. The instructions were easy to follow and everything I needed to ship my test card back to the lab was included. In addition, they sent an email confirming receipt of my info. Now I am just waiting for the results.

There is hope that insurance companies will cover this test in the future. But for now, the test costs a little under $60 and there is an option to request financial assistance if needed.

To raise awareness, when you order your testing kit for type 1, participants also receive a box of handbills, posters, bracelets, and other information to get the word out about signs of type 1 diabetes.

JDRF has taken a leadership role in helping to prevent and cure type 1 diabetes. Making a home blood test available to everyone is a promising step towards that.

Because T1D starts long before insulin is required, families will be able to prepare, develop a plan for further monitoring with their doctor and hopefully avoid seriously and sometimes life-threatening conditions, such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), along with possible hospitalization. (JDRF)

Hope for the future

I am hopeful that there will be an effective treatment to stop the progression of Type 1 diabetes during my lifetime. Scientists and JDRF-funded research are closer than ever to developing therapies that can intervene and disrupt type 1’s disease’s progress before insulin therapy is needed.

To get your testing kit or to learn more about the work JDRF is doing, please click here for more info.

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