Follow-up and monitoring programme in children identified in early-stage type 1 diabetes during screening in the general population of Italy

Aim: To provide guidance for follow-up and monitoring of children and adolescents identified as positive to islet autoantibodies (IA) in the general population screening for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Italy. Methods: Detection of IA helps to diagnose pre-symptomatic T1D, prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and identify persons for new therapies to delay symptomatic diabetes. Italy recently became the first country to approve by law a general autoantibody screening program for T1D and celiac disease in all children and adolescents (age 1-17yr). A pilot study is currently underway in four Italian regions addressing feasibility issues to be used in the scale up to nationwide screening. Meanwhile, a group of experts developed guidance recommendations for follow-up and monitoring of identified IA positive persons. Results: Ten key components have been identified: establishment of a registry for children and adolescents at risk; close collaboration with the national network of family paediatricians; creation of T1D centers with expertise in follow-up and monitoring; educational measures; assurance of solid IA tests; identification of appropriate metabolic tests; feed-back feasibility and acceptability questionnaires; potential access to available therapeutic interventions; valuable outcome measures including DKA incidence; costs monitoring. Distinctive features of this program include single (in addition to multiple) IA antibody-positive persons in follow-up and the use of CGM to assess risk progression, rather than the cumbersome OGTT. Conclusion: It is expected that the proposed follow-up and monitoring program will be effective, affordable and acceptable to children and families identified in general T1D screening in Italy.