Experts recommend population-wide Type 1 diabetes screening for children

An international team of experts has published a consensus paper in the journal ‘Diabetologia’ recommending systematic population-wide screening for Type 1 diabetes in children. The goal is to identify the disease through islet autoantibodies in the blood before clinical symptoms appear.

Proponents argue that early detection can significantly reduce the risk of life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis and allow for timely outpatient insulin treatment. Early diagnosis may also provide opportunities for disease-modifying therapies to delay the clinical onset of the illness. Because over 85 percent of newly diagnosed patients have no family history, experts suggest screening should extend beyond high-risk groups, potentially starting between ages two and four.

However, the proposal faces skepticism. The German Diabetes Society (DDG) currently does not see a basis for population-wide screening, citing that the disease cannot be prevented even with early detection. Critics also point to the potential psychological burden on families who may not know exactly when a child will fall ill, as well as concerns regarding the overall cost-benefit ratio.