Scotland will be the first country to make the c-peptide blood tests readily available to Type 1 diabetics.
The test will monitor how much c-peptide the body is producing, also showing how much insulin is being produced naturally.
The c-peptide test has been used in diabetes testing for many years and can distinguish whether a person has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
A pilot ran by NHS Lothian resulted in some patients reducing or stopping insulin injections completely.
Diabetes and endocrinology consultant Prof Mark Strachan, who led the two-year pilot study said: ‘C-peptide helps diabetes specialists make a more accurate diagnosis of the cause of diabetes, and that means we can get people on the most appropriate treatment.’
‘In some instances, C-peptide testing allowed people to stop very long-standing insulin therapy. This can be life-transforming.’
There are around four-hundred-thousand people living with type 1 diabetes in the UK and new diagnoses are increasing by 4% each year.
The tests will be available from the start of this month at hospital diabetes centres around Scotland for those who have had their diagnosis for longer than 3 years.
It is hoped that is high levels of c-peptide are found that insulin is also being produced naturally by the body too, allowing many to either reduce their injections down to a lower level or stop it entirely.
