Early Diagnosis of Diabetes

Investigating how to improve the early diagnosis diabetes in children

Over 22,000 children in England have diabetes (most cases are type 1 diabetes). Diagnosis is often delayed, which can cause complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis. It is therefore important to understand what the early signs and symptoms of diabetes are in children, which can be used to educate parents and health care professionals about this disease.

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Cambridge we have a stream of research which aims to improve the evidence parents and primary care clinicians can use to diagnose diabetes in children.

• We have systematically reviewed existing literature on the diagnosis of diabetic keto acidosis in children with new onset diabetes, and how this varies across the world.
• We are examining GP records of a large number of children to see if we can identify the pattern of symptoms leading up to a diagnosis of diabetes.
• In collaboration with our Cambridge colleagues we are using qualitative methods to identify early clinical features in children recently diagnosed with diabetes.

For more information contact Ann Van den Bruel.