H E A LT H
of diabetes are type 2 (75-85per
cent), and while it is known that
type 2 diabetes is highly variable,
few attempts have been made to
explore these distinctions.
The new study used four cohort
studies including people over
the age of 18 years who had been
recently diagnosed with diabetes,
totalling 14,775 patients across
Sweden and Finland. The authors
analysed six measurements used to
monitor patients with diabetes that
reflect key aspects of the disease.
They also did genetic analyses, and
compared disease progression,
treatment, and development of di-
abetic complications for each type
of diabetes.
They discovered that there are in
fact five different disease profiles
were also present in these patients.
These types of diabetes were dis-
tinct, and included three severe
and two mild forms of the disease.
Among the severe forms, there
was one group with severe insu-
lin resistance and a significantly
higher risk of kidney disease than
the other types, and a group of
relatively young, insulin-deficient
individuals with poor metabolic
control but no auto-antibodies.
The other severe group were in-
sulin-deficient patients who had
auto-antibodies associated with
autoimmune diabetes, a form of
diabetes formerly called type 1
diabetes, or latent autoimmune
diabetes in adults (LADA).
The most common form of the
disease was one of the more mod-
erate forms of diabetes, which was
seen in elderly people. The other
mild form of diabetes was mainly
seen in obese individuals. All five
types of diabetes were also genet-
ically distinct, with no mutations
associated with all types of the dis-
ease. The findings support the idea
that the five types of diabetes are
not simply different stages of the
same disease. And the research-
ers hope that with more studies
into the distinctions, better more
tailored treatments may be found
in the future.
Diabetes is five different dieases
not two, experts have discovered.
The findings could lead to more
personalised treatments for suf-
ferers, scientists said. Scientists
have discovered there could be
five different types of diabetes, not
just two. And it could help doctors
identify which patients are most
likely to suffer nasty complica-
tions, including going blind, in
the early stages. Currently there
are two types of diabetes - both of
which cause a person’s blood sugar
levels to become too high. Type 1
diabetes is where the body’s im-
mune system attacks and destroys
the cells that produce insulin - a
key hormone that helps break
down sugar. Meanwhile, type 2
is more common accounting for
around 90 per cent of diabetes cas-
es in the UK. The discovery could
lead to better treatment for people
with the disease. Obesity is a major
risk factor for type 2 diabetes
It’s linked to obesity and lifestyle
factors, and is where the body
doesn’t produce enough insulin, or
the body doesn’t react to insulin.
But now, a team of scientists in
Sweden and Finland have identi-
fied five clusters of patients with
diabetes. And each comes with
significantly different characteris-
tics and risk of complications, they
found.
“This new substratification might
eventually help to tailor and tar-
get early treatments to patients
who would benefit most, thereby
representing a first step towards
precision medicine in diabetes,”
the researchers said.
They found cluster 3 was most
resistant to insulin, and had
significantly higher risk of diabet-
ic kidney disease than those in
clusters 4 and 5.
Cluster 2 had the highest risk
of retinopathy, which can cause
blindness.
The team analysed data on new-
ly diagnosed patients from the
Swedish All New Diabetics in
Scania cohort, to arrive at their
findings.
The findings could prove im-
portant to the 3.7million people
diagnosed with diabetes currently
in the UK.
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong con-
dition controlled by insulin injec-
tions. It accounts for about 10 per
cent of diabetes cases in the UK
and isn’t linked to lifestyle
Millions more are thought to have
prediabetes, or blood sugar levels
that are above the normal range
but not yet high enough to be
classified as diabetic.
If you have signs of prediabetes,
it’s important to see your GP im-
mediately.
Common warning signs include:
• feeling very thirsty
• peeing more regularly,
especially at night
• feeling really tired
• weight loss and loss of muscle
bulk
• itching around the penis or va-
gina, frequent bouts of thrush
• cuts or wounds than take ages
to heal
• blurry vision
Type 1 diabetes, which is a serious
lifelong condition that typically re-
quires insulin injections or pump,
can develop quickly over a matter
of weeks, even days.
HEALTH CHECK - What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2
diabetes and - what are the signs you could be at risk?
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