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Screening children for type 1 diabetes‐associated antibodies at community health fairs
Author(s) -
Simmons Kimber M.,
Youngkin Erin,
Alkanani Aimon,
Miao Dongmei,
McDaniel Kristen,
Yu Liping,
Michels Aaron W.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pediatric diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.678
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1399-5448
pISSN - 1399-543X
DOI - 10.1111/pedi.12902
Subject(s) - medicine , antibody , ethnic group , type 1 diabetes , incidence (geometry) , dried blood , population , diabetes mellitus , community health , family history , pediatrics , immunology , demography , public health , environmental health , endocrinology , chemistry , physics , nursing , chromatography , sociology , anthropology , optics
Objective The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing, most notably in young children and in racial and ethnic minorities. Historically, screening for risk with T1D‐associated antibodies has been limited to those with a family history, while up to 90% of newly diagnosed patients lack such a family history. To address the needs to screen diverse ethnic groups in the general population, we screened children for T1D‐associated antibodies in the Denver, Colorado metro area at community health fairs. Methods Children attending health fairs from 2015 to 2018 were offered free T1D screening by measuring the four prototypical T1D‐associated antibodies. A finger stick capillary puncture was performed to collect blood spots on filter paper. Dried blood spots (DBSs) were eluted and antibodies were measured using fluid‐phase radio‐binding assays. Results At 39 health fairs, children were educated on the signs and symptoms of diabetes, and screened for T1D‐associated antibodies (n = 478), which represented 90% of those that attended. Median age was 9.0 years (range of 1‐18) with diverse ethnic backgrounds: 37% Hispanic, 31% Caucasian, 20% African American, and 12% other. Nine children screened positive for antibodies, single n = 8 and multiple n = 1, and confirmation with serum samples showed excellent correlation to the measurements from DBSs for antibodies directed against GAD, IA‐2, and ZnT8 ( P < .01 for each). Conclusions Screening for T1D risk at community health fairs using DBSs on filter paper is feasible and provides an avenue to screen children from ethnically diverse backgrounds.