Social and ethical implications of screening for type 1 diabetes in the UK

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterised by destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Late diagnosis is associated with diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe and potentially fatal complication. In the UK, there is the potential to introduce a national screening programme to identify children at risk of developing T1D. However, there are several ethical implications that must first be considered, not least because of the lack of preventative medical intervention. Mapped onto the UK National Screening Committee’s ethical framework, this article provides an in-depth exploration of key ethical considerations, in particular the potential harms such screening could cause, and whether this is balanced against the proposed benefits.