Approximately 50% of adults with type 1 diabetes experience severe diabetes-related distress.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Diabetes UK have partnered to invest nearly £3 million into research to treat and prevent the ravages of type 1 diabetes (T1D).
The new funding, awarded to Professor Jackie Sturt of King’s College London, will help pilot a new programme called ‘D-Stress’ to tackle the devastating burden of living with chronic illness in adults.
According to Diabetes UK, around 4.4 million people in the UK live with diabetes, a metabolic disease characterised by elevated blood sugar levels.
T1D, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin, or produces very little, accounts for around 10% of diabetes cases in the UK, with almost 50% of adults with the disease experiencing high levels of diabetes distress.
The new programme aims to deliver care within the NHS to detect, prevent and manage type 1 diabetes in adults and will combine three existing treatments.
Researchers will consult with people with T1D and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to select which existing treatments are most likely to be tested in the trial to determine whether they can reduce diabetes suffering, improve blood sugar levels, and enhance quality of life for this patient population.
In addition, the team will follow up with participating patients and healthcare professionals to determine whether the programme is fit for purpose, delivers results and is cost-effective enough to be scaled up for use across the NHS.
If successful, the D-Stress programme could revolutionise the treatment of type 1 diabetes in the UK, becoming the first therapy in the country to focus on the emotional impact of the disease.
Mr Sturt said: “Together we aim to create a care pathway within the NHS to meet the day-to-day emotional and psychological needs of people with type 1 diabetes.”
Professor Danny McAuley, scientific director of the NIHR programme, commented: “Preventing and treating diabetes suffering will help to provide better care for the thousands of people living with T1D in the UK.”
