Ahmed Moussa
General Manager, General Medicine, Sanofi UK & IE
Early detection of type autoimmune 1 diabetes is important for people because it can help them adjust to the strict management realities of their condition and prevent acute complications.
With autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, an essential hormone allowing your body to use sugar for energy. This can have serious health implications and may lead to a complication called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), where the body starts breaking down fat for energy too quickly, producing acids called ketones. If not managed, DKA can become dangerous, but it is treatable and preventable with proper diabetes care.
Understanding autoimmune type 1 diabetes
A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes used to be a potential death sentence. That changed in 1921 when a form of insulin was developed, which has saved countless lives since. What hasn’t changed are the misconceptions surrounding the condition. For example, type 1 diabetes isn’t only diagnosed in childhood: it can happen to someone at any time.
Symptoms to watch out for include urinating more frequently, feeling constantly thirsty and tired, plus losing weight without trying.1 Unfortunately, because those with the disease are often asymptomatic in its early stages — and because 90% of type 1 patients have no family history of it2 — diagnosis can be delayed. Yet, it’s possible to detect the autoantibodies that indicate the malfunction of the immune system and therefore identify those who have this condition in its early presymptomatic stage.
If someone is suddenly diagnosed
with autoimmune type 1, it can
feel like a crash landing.
Early diagnosis can lessen the impact on patients
Ahmed Moussa, General Manager, General Medicine at biopharma company Sanofi UK and IE, stresses that early detection isn’t just desirable. It’s vital. “If someone is suddenly diagnosed with autoimmune type 1, it can feel like a crash landing,” he explains. “Without warning, they and their family must adapt to living with the condition. That can be difficult and disruptive because effective management requires constant monitoring and decision-making.”
Early detection can help this feel less traumatic, which could be particularly valuable for children and young people. Among other benefits, patients can be quickly introduced to support from advocacy groups and given appropriate management technology such as insulin pumps and glucose monitors.3 “Early detection can also prevent complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis from occurring,” says Moussa.
Currently, routine screening is not available on the NHS. “However, two large-scale type 1 diabetes studies offer screening opportunities,” adds Moussa. “These are the ELSA study for children, run by the University of Birmingham, and the T1DRA study for adults, run by the University of Bristol.”
Optimistic about the future of type 1 diabetes innovation
Early diagnosis is also important because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition; it cannot be improved with lifestyle changes, unlike type 2 diabetes. Misdiagnosis of this condition is common with estimates of up to 40% of adults older than 30 years of age with T1D having been possibly misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the first instance,4 and around 50% of people with T1D misdiagnosed with type 2 are often still receiving the same treatment offered to people with type 2 diabetes 13 years later.5
However, Moussa is optimistic about the future. “I’ve never been more excited about the science surrounding autoimmune type 1, and I’ve been working in this space for over 15 years,” he says. “Innovation has developed rapidly in the last decade. Research is expanding, too, helping us understand the underlying mechanism of autoimmune type 1 diabetes and the impact of early detection.”
MAT-XU-2502298 v1.0 June 2025
[1] Signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes | Breakthrough T1D UK
[2] Causes of type 1 diabetes | Breakthrough T1D UK
[3] Narendran P. Screening for type 1 diabetes: are we nearly there yet? Diabetologia. 2019;62(1):24-27.
[4] Elsevier Ltd. 2023. Misdiagnosis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in adults. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. doi.org/10. 1016/j.lanepe.2023. 100661.
[5] Diabetes.co.uk available at: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2019/may/38-per-cent-of-adults-with-type-1-diabetes-are-misdiagnosed-with-type-2-92171991.html
