Up to one-third of children in Ireland who are in the early stages of type 1 diabetes are not being referred to hospital promptly enough, Diabetes Ireland has warned.

The national diabetes charity is urging parents and healthcare professionals to make themselves familiar with the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

In recent years, Diabetes Ireland has been working to highlight the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects more people and tends to get more attention in the media due to its links with having an unhealthy lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly greatly reduces a person's risk of developing type 2.

However type 1 diabetes is not related to lifestyle factors and it cannot be prevented or reversed. It is an autoimmune disease, which always requires treatment with insulin injections. Up to five children and teenagers are diagnosed with it in Ireland every week.

If a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is delayed, a potentially life-threatening condition - diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) - can occur. DKA is caused by a lack of insulin in the body and early symptoms can include feeling very thirsty, feeling sick, abdominal pain and passing large amounts of urine.

AKi simple finger prick glucose test can lead to a prompt diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, thereby avoiding the risk of developing DKA. In 2014, one in six children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Ireland was admitted to hospital with DKA.

Diabetes Ireland is highlighting this issue following the publication of a new study by the Department of Paediatrics in Birmingham in the UK. It involved a survey of 300 GPs and revealed that where type 1 diabetes was suspected in children, 34% were not immediately referred to a specialist diabetes paediatric team in hospital.

Meanwhile, among those who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after a late referral, 54% already had DKA by the time they presented to hospital.

The charity said that these findings ‘align with anecdotal information in Ireland'.

"This study demonstrates the importance of the awareness and early recognition of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents. Delay in diagnosis and lack of prompt referral can result in DKA, which is a potential life-threatening complication of this condition," commented Dr Declan Cody, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin.

The most common reason for the delay in the UK study was due to the GP attempting to confirm the diagnosis by undertaking further tests, such as a fasting blood glucose test.

"This report mirrors what we are hearing from parents in Ireland. GPs ask parents to bring their child back the next day or in a few days if they are not better for blood tests, whereas an immediate urine or finger prick glucose check is warranted," explained Dr Anna Clarke of Diabetes Ireland.

The charity is currently targeting GPs, pharmacies, schools, creches and parent groups in an attempt to raise awareness of the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and to highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of type 1.

For more information on Diabetes Ireland, click here