Detecting diabetes early, large-scale screening helps local families

This paid piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.

Like most Type 1 diabetes patients, Samuel Erdmann got very sick before his doctors caught the disease. He was diagnosed at age 5 after displaying the classic symptoms: weight loss, excessive thirst, moodiness and frequent urination.

While Samuel got sick, he was lucky enough to avoid hospitalization. At Sanford Health, 70 percent of Type 1 diabetes patients are diagnosed when they develop diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA is a life-threatening diabetes complication that requires hospitalization.

A study is screening kids early for Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Its goal is to identify children at risk of developing these conditions before they get sick. It worked for Samuel’s little brother.

Joining the PLEDGE study

The Sanford PLEDGE study is a large-scale screening study of children.

Samuel’s mom, Lindsey Erdmann, doesn’t remember how she heard about it, but she remembers knowing she wanted to enroll her other kids in it.

“We’d already gone through it with Samuel. He was sick when he was diagnosed, and we wanted to avoid going through that again,” she said.

Samuel’s younger brother, Ezra, was 2 years old when he joined PLEDGE. His parents hoped the study would give them some peace of mind.

We wanted to know if we should be watching for certain signs and symptoms. We didn’t want to think every time he got a cold or flu, ‘wow, maybe this is diabetes starting,’” Erdmann said.

Enrolling in PLEDGE was easy. Erdmann completed a short questionnaire through My Sanford Chart, then all Ezra had to do was give a small sample of blood when he was in the clinic being seen for routine care.

The blood was tested for antibodies that are associated with Type 1 diabetes. There are four types of antibodies that could be early warning signs for diabetes. At his first blood draw, Ezra tested positive for two of the types. Within a year, he had all four.

Early diabetes diagnosis

Erdmann received a call from the PLEDGE team laying out her next steps after Ezra’s first positive test. His primary care doctor also was notified. Within days, he was under the care of his brother’s endocrinologist and had an official Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

“He didn’t have to live a very long time with extended high blood sugar. We’re hoping he was diagnosed before any permanent damage was done. I’m glad we got the process going before he got sick,” his mom said.

Even though Ezra is very young, he’s adapting well to his new diagnosis and everything that comes with it.

“He cried a little with the first shot but not since. Ezra has seen needles a lot from his brother’s diabetes management, so he understands if we need to do a shot. He even chooses a place for it. We couldn’t have asked for a better transition for him,” Erdmann said.

PLEDGE played a part in that easy transition by helping detect his diabetes before he experienced symptoms.

“We’re glad we did it,” Erdmann said. “I really only see positives for enrolling in PLEDGE. If there’s one reason to do it, it’s avoiding hospitalization or even worse if someone is diagnosed too late.”

Learn more about PLEDGE, and see if your child is eligible to enroll.