Type 1 diabetes national screening pilot starts in western Sydney

A simple test that can detect if infants are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes in childhood is being rolled out in western Sydney — and providing hope for hundreds of families.

She is only 14 but thousands of injections, glucose tests and finger pricks have dominated Emily Klimek’s young life as a type 1 diabetes patient.

The Glenmore Park teen was diagnosed with the lifelong condition, which means her body cannot produce insulin, when she was two years old but, thankfully, treatments and detection technology have advanced.

During National Diabetes Week, a pilot screening program that determines if infants aged between six and 12 months are at risk of developing the condition in childhood, has been rolled out in western Sydney.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Sydney University-driven project can be carried out with a simple saliva swab instead of taking a blood test.

Emily’s mum, Julie, who is an endocrinology and diabetes nurse at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead where she treats patients facing the same challenges as her daughter, has welcomed the technology.

When Emily was diagnosed, Mrs Klimek wanted to test her daughter Amy, who is two years younger than her sister, but the only way to do that was through a blood test.

“This is going to be fantastic,’’ Mrs Klimek said.

“In the era of Covid, there’s not many kids that don’t understand what a mouth swab is. Having a swab is much better than doing a blood test.’’

Julie Klimek and her daughter Emily, 14, who has had type 1 diabetes since she was two.

Sisters Amy and Emily Klimek. Amy does not have diabetes.

Mrs Klimek hopes technology will also provide insights to what triggers auto-immune responses for children living with type 1 diabetes.

“Hopefully it will pick it up early and kids don’t get so sick and have to go to ICU,’’ she said.

The disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Insulin helps the body convert glucose (sugar) from food into fuel, and without it, glucose can build up in the bloodstream to dangerous levels.

Type 1 diabetes affects one in 300 children in Australia, 90 per cent of whom have no family history of the condition.

Julie and David Klimek with their daughters Emily and Amy.

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead paediatric endocrinologist, Professor Maria Craig, said the free screening program was simple and gave parents the advantage of early detection.

“Early signs of type 1 diabetes are often vague and can be missed or confused with other minor childhood concerns,’’ she said.

“As a result, at least one in three Australian children with type 1 diabetes are not diagnosed until they require emergency medical care.

“Screening in infancy has been shown to support earlier diagnosis before the child becomes seriously unwell.’’

The test can be taken at home, with a GP or participating pharmacy.

Click here to register for the Type 1 diabetes national screening pilot and to find out about your child’s eligibility.

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