Type 1 Diabetes Awareness | April 6, 2024 | News 19 Saturday Morning at 6:00am

Nearly 1.24 million Americans are living with type 1 diabetes, and that number is expected to grow to five million by 2050. This means that 1 in 30 U.S. families are already impacted by type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that is most common among youth but people at any age can develop it. In fact, about half of new cases of type 1 diabetes each year are diagnosed in older adults. People who have type 1 diabetes eventually require life-long insulin therapy.
Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented or cured. However, it can be detected early through autoantibody screening before any noticeable symptoms arise, before insulin is required, and potentially before any serious complications occur. One such complication is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious healthcare crisis that can be life-threatening. Early screening may help people potentially reduce their risk of going through DKA by up to 50%.
There’s a powerful social movement underway called “The 1 Pledge” that includes diverse voices of the type 1 diabetes community. The goal of the movement is to take action and get screened. Anyone can be screened for type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies. By getting screened for type 1 diabetes early, people may give themselves and their families more time to prepare and plan for the future.

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