New study determines diabetes subcategories

A study that was published in March may change how diabetes patients in Florida, and the doctors who treat them, think about the condition. The authors of the study claim that rather than dividing the condition into type 1 and type 2, having a total of five subcategories could pave the way for earlier diabetes detection and treatment.

To come to this conclusion, researchers conducted a cluster analysis of patients who were recently diagnosed with diabetes. They noted information like the age when they were diagnosed, their body mass index, and their resistance to insulin. This was studied in conjunction with prescription records and records of previous complications.

The first three subgroups that they discovered concerned those with severe diabetes. They are severe autoimmune diabetes, insulin-deficient diabetes, and insulin-resistant diabetes. The first involved early-onset diabetes, and patients generally had poor metabolism and carried enzymes called glutamate decarboxylase autoantibodies. These enzymes foretell the onset of type 1 diabetes. The second group did not carry these enzymes but showed similar characteristics. The last two groups are mild obesity-related diabetes and age-related diabetes. Both showed metabolism issues, but the latter were comprised of older patients. In all, the five-group classification could help identify those with a high risk for diabetes complications and determine more suitable therapy for them.

Unfortunately, misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses are still common. When these result in a worsened medical condition, victims might want to meet with a medical malpractice attorney to discuss their situation and see what legal recourse might be available to them.