MP calls for better diabetes screening of children

A bid to improve early screening of type 1 diabetes in children has been presented to Parliament.

Sarah Bool, the Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, who was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease five years ago at the age of 33, introduced the Ten Minute Rule bill in the Commons.

Bool said symptoms often did not appear until patients were in the "third and latter stage which requires hospitalisation and emergency treatment".

Last month, a government spokesperson said guidelines given to GPs by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) stated if doctors suspected type 1 diabetes in children and young people, they should be referred immediately to a specialist.

"We should aim to identify the condition before becoming symptomatic in stage three," Bool told the Commons.

Currently, many young people go undiagnosed and risk developing a life-threatening complication, called diabetic ketoacidosis, which needs urgent hospital treatment.

Identifying diabetes early could help avoid this and mean treatments to control problematic blood sugar levels could be given sooner.

A Ten-Minute Rule Bill is a type of Private Members' Bill, in which a backbench MP can make the case for a new bill to the Commons in a speech lasting up to 10 minutes.

The four common symptoms of type 1 diabetes, known as the 4Ts, are:

Toilet – urinating more frequently, especially at night

Thirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it

Tired – being incredibly tired and having no energy

Thinner – losing weight without trying to do so

Bool said: "It is essential that we all recognise the signs of type 1 diabetes."

She said currently there was no comprehensive NHS screening programme for children unlike those in other countries including the USA, Australia, Germany and Italy.

"We need to make sure any screening system is universal so we have a fair application that does not discriminate based on background, wealth or ethnicity," she added.

"While type 1 is an unpredictable and relentless condition to live with, I hope within the next few years we can make the diagnosis of this far less traumatic and give families and patients the skills and tools to live with type 1.

"One day I hope that we can cure this condition but, until then, diagnosing earlier and delaying that onset to allow more carefree childhood years, we might just make people's journey... that little bit better."

The bill is expected to be heard again next month.

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