The University of Rochester Medical Center is offering free screenings for relatives of people with type 1 diabetes to determine their risk of developing the disease. A simple blood test can now reveal a persons risk for type 1 diabetes up to 10 years before diagnosis. Those at increased risk can join research studies that are testing ways to prevent or delay type 1 diabetes. If diabetes can be delayed, even for a few years, those at risk may be able to postpone the difficult challenges of trying to control their glucose levels and the potential development of serious complications. The serious complications of diabetes include heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and lower-limb amputations.
The University of Rochester Medical Center is among the 150 medical centers in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia that have joined forces through Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, a global network funded by the National Institutes of Health, to study the prevention, early detection and treatment of type 1 diabetes.
For more information about the free screening or research studies offered at the University of Rochester Medical Center, please contact Barbara Johnson, RN at (585) 276-4123. For more information about Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and locations for screenings and studies across the country, call 1-800-HALT-DM1 (1-800-425-8361), or visit www.DiabetesTrialNet.org.