Image credit: Artwork created by 16-year-old Sophia V. who has been living with T1D since she was five years old. See more of her work on artbymophree.com and follow her @artbymophree. 

T1D doesn’t discriminate. It affects people of all races, ethnicities, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

While some people are fortunate enough to be able to identify symptoms early, others learn of a T1D diagnosis during dangerously high or low blood sugars that result in hospitalization or even diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).  

In others still, T1D can be misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes (T2D) because of implicit bias.

The risks of an emergency or incorrect diagnosis are amplified for members of underserved populations. These individuals often experience significant differences in health outcomes, due to gaps in access to adequate health care and therapies.  

For instance, compared to their white peers, Black youth are more likely to experience DKA at the time of T1D diagnosis, which can contribute to a higher risk of long-term complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s latest report about the prevalence of diabetes in the United States,  among youth under the age of 20, the rate of newly-diagnosed T1D is increasing most sharply in Hispanic and Black populations. 

Learn more about T1D and health equity. 

T1Detect

T1Detect, JDRF’s screening education and awareness program, helps people in the U.S.—even those who do not have a family connection to T1D—get the information they need to determine whether they or a loved one are at risk for T1D.  

T1Detect helps families understand the importance of screening, how to get screened, and what to do after they receive their results.

Knowing your T1D autoantibody status is an important first step towards determining your risk of T1D. If you don’t know your T1D autoantibody status, visit our screening education resource to learn about your options. 

Learn more about type 1 diabetes screening.

When it comes to understanding your risk, knowledge is power.  

Screening: A Crucial Element of Cures Research

Screening education and awareness through T1Detect is not only about preventing DKA. Screening will also accelerate the identification of people at risk of developing T1D, the development of  therapies that can slow down the progression of T1D and, one day, cure T1D. 

Learn more about the important role screening plays in achieving a world without T1D.