Key points
- Recent advances have made it possible to diagnose type 1 diabetes before symptoms appear.
- A new treatment option is available to delay progression of type 1 diabetes in people at an early stage.
Screening
Type 1 diabetes develops gradually in stages. People at high risk for type 1 diabetes who don't have symptoms can now get screened to see if they are in the early stages of the condition.
Screening for type 1 diabetes identifies if someone has certain autoantibodies, a signal that the immune system is mistakenly attacking the body's insulin-making cells. Blood sugar levels are also checked.
| Stage | Autoantibodies | Blood sugar | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 or more | Normal | No symptoms |
| 2 | 2 or more | Abnormal | No symptoms |
| 3 | 2 or more | High | Symptoms are present |
Medicine to delay type 1 diabetes
Teplizumab is an FDA-approved medicine that can delay the progression of type 1 diabetes by slowing down the immune response that damages insulin-making cells.
This can delay type 1 diabetes symptoms, as well as the need for insulin injections. Teplizumab is given as a daily intravenous (IV) infusion for 14 days.
Teplizumab is for people with stage 2 type 1 diabetes to delay progression to stage 3, which is when symptoms appear. Patients must be at least 8 years old. This medicine can be very expensive without health insurance coverage. However, patients may be eligible for a copay assistance program called Compass.