Identifying early stage type 1 diabetes takes centre stage at CVRM Professional Care

Testing for and managing early type 1 diabetes was the subject of a speaker session on the opening morning of CVRM Professional Care.

Parth Narendran, Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Birmingham and adult diabetologist at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, spoke about early detection of the condition and how his team manages patients identified with early stage type 1 diabetes.

Delegates at the conference, which is the first of its kind to shine a spotlight on some of the biggest developments shaping cardiovascular, renal and metabolic care, heard about the treatment that is now available for people with early stage type 1 diabetes, including NICE-approved immunotherapy medication.

Professor Narendran said: “Another important message is around the screening of relatives of those with established type 1 diabetes – that is good way to start identifying people.

“It’s also important to think about autoimmune diabetes in people where it’s not clearly type 2 diabetes and the possibility that it could be type 1 diabetes presenting in adults.

“In the context of gestational diabetes, which we often think of as early type 2 diabetes being unmasked by pregnancy, it’s important to think if this could be early stages of type 1 diabetes that is being unmasked by pregnancy.”

Professor Narendran, who leads the Diabetes Research Unit and the type 1 diabetes clinical service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said that guidelines on supporting these patients are available through various networks including the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) and the Children and Young People’s Networks.

CVRM Professional Care is taking place on October 20 and 21. Learn more here: https://www.cvrmprofessionalcare.uk