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NEWS
presymptomatic Type 1 diabetes. It
also allows researchers to identify
people who could benefit from
novel therapies to delay the onset of
Type 1 diabetes and recruit them to
clinical trials of immunotherapies.
This will transform Type 1
diabetes research by fast-tracking
recruitment, unravelling how the
condition develops and progresses,
and bringing us closer to licensed
disease-modifying treatments
in T1D."
Meanwhile, Dr David Shukla, a
GP and Clinical Research Fellow who
helped develop the new SNOMED
code, explains, "The inclusion
of a code for the diagnosis of
presymptomatic Type 1 diabetes will
highlight to healthcare professionals
involved in their care the individuals
who are at high risk of developing
T1D. This will help ensure that when
these people progress and develop
symptomatic T1D, it will be picked
up and treated at a much earlier
stage. This reduces the risk of them
presenting or being diagnosed late
and developing diabetic ketoacidosis,
an emergency complication of T1D
that can be fatal. This timely pick up
and initiation of prompt treatment
will lead to substantial improvements
Hilary Nathan.
Lauren Quinn.
in their diabetes and future care."
Hilary Nathan, Director of Policy
and Communications at JDRF
UK, the leading Type 1 diabetes
charity, adds, "This recognition of
presymptomatic Type 1 diabetes
with a SNOMED code is a crucial
step towards the implementation of
population screening programmes
for early detection of Type 1 diabetes.
Early detection leads to short and
long-term health benefits, improved
quality of life and cost savings for
healthcare providers. The new
code will unlock better monitoring,
follow-up and education for people
in the earliest stages of Type 1. It will
also help facilitate recruitment into
clinical trials of emerging treatments,
enabling people developing type 1
diabetes to access therapies that
have the potential to claw back
valuable time free from the burdens
of Type 1 diabetes management."
The SNOMED code for T1D is
'Diabetes mellitus Type 1 - 46635009'.
The new code for presymptomatic
T1D is 'Presymptomatic diabetes
mellitus Type 1 - 1290118005' and
is now available to add to people's
electronic health records. These
codes are also included in the 'Health
conditions' section of the NHS app,
so people developing T1D and their
families can use it too.
ELSA study
JDRF
SNOMED