What is type 1 diabetes screening?
Screening identifies the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Unlike a blood sugar level test, an autoantibody blood screening looks for diabetes-related autoantibodies. These are proteins that appear in the blood when type 1 diabetes begins, even in the early stages before symptoms.
Screening is often low or even no cost depending on insurance. Knowing there are signs of autoimmune type 1 diabetes lets people act early and proactively seek out monitoring, management, or potential treatment. Learn more about the benefits of knowing here.
Get screened now
The American Diabetes Association recommends that high-risk individuals proactively screen for type 1 diabetes with a blood test that can detect it in the early stages.
Screening may provide you information that allows you and your doctor to proactively manage your health—but it's important to act. Without screening, symptoms and even life-threatening complications at diagnosis could seem to happen out of nowhere.
How can you screen?
There are many options for where to get screened—potentially at low or no cost.
Talk to your doctor about the option that’s best for you or your loved one.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that high-risk individuals proactively screen for type 1 diabetes with a blood test that can detect it in the early stages.
Screening Central
Screening Central offers a comprehensive and convenient solution to help with every step of screening for type 1 diabetes autoantibodies.
Talk to your Doctor
Starting with your doctor is an important step to getting screened for type 1 diabetes. Your doctor could help you get tested at a participating lab or in office kit. This guide can help you with that conversation.
Watch Adam Schefter play doctor and patient and show how he would ask to be screened.
0
Autoantibodies
If the test finds no autoantibodies:
- Talk to your doctor about rescreening every year until the age of 18 if other people in your family have type 1 diabetes
1
Autoantibody
If the test finds 1 autoantibody, you or your loved one are at a higher risk for developing type 1 diabetes. You can talk to your doctor about:
- Getting tested for all five T1D autoantibodies*
- Rescreening every year to see if more autoantibodies develop
2+
Autoantibodies
If the test finds 2 or more autoantibodies, this is a sign that the earliest stages of type 1 diabetes may have begun.
- Talk to your doctor about options that could help and other next steps, so you can take charge of your health.
