Sometimes diabetes diagnosis is not straightforward, and it is worth knowing that other types of diabetes exist or co-exist with other conditions. In many cases treatment and management is similar to type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and your GP or diabetes team will advise you on necessary treatments.
As with many chronic conditions, in any type of diabetes, early detection, active management, and regular engagement with appropriate healthcare professionals enable people living with diabetes to achieve better health outcomes and improved quality of life.
Type 1 diabetes that evolves more slowly and generally manifests in adults over 30 years of age may often be called latent-autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). It is classified as type 1 diabetes, but the gradual decline in insulin production is slower than typical type 1 diabetes diagnosed in younger cohorts.
Therefore, it can be challenging to diagnose, as it can often initially be misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes and may not require insulin from the onset. Insulin treatment (basal-bolus therapy) and frequent blood-glucose monitoring starts a bit later than in typical type 1 diabetes, but is the only treatment months or first few years after diagnosis. A blood test (C-peptide) is carried out to differentiate LADA (type 1 diabetes) from type 2 diabetes.
Characteristics:
MODY is a form of diabetes that is inherited and typically diagnosed in adolescence or young adulthood, generally before 25 years of age.
Monogenic diabetes is caused by mutations in a single gene, often leading to reduced insulin production. One of the key risk factors is having a parent with diabetes, with diabetes in two or more generations.
MODY is NOT an autoimmune condition, although it is often misdiagnosed as type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Genetic testing can identify whether it is monogenic diabetes or other type of diabetes. There are 14 known subtypes of MODY, each caused by a different gene mutation.
Insulin treatment may not be necessary, and MODY can be often managed with changes to dietary and lifestyle factors and/or oral medication.
Pancreatic diabetes, often referred to as type 3c diabetes (or pancreatogenic diabetes) occurs when the pancreas is damaged, leading to insufficient insulin production and causing diabetes.
This damage can result from conditions like chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, or surgical removal of the pancreas.
It’s a form of secondary diabetes, meaning it develops due to an underlying pancreatic condition.
The treatment may include oral medication and or insulin therapy.
Cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD) is a distinct form of diabetes that develops in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).
It is characterised by both insulin deficiency and insulin resistance, and is a significant complication of cystic fibrosis, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality.
Cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD) is one of the most common complications of cystic fibrosis in adults.
The treatment often involves insulin therapy.
Several medications have side effects which include the raising of blood glucose levels. Drug induced diabetes is a form of secondary diabetes, in other words diabetes that is a consequence of having another health condition and when use of a specific medication has led to the development of diabetes.
In some cases, the development of diabetes may be reversible if use of the medication is discontinued, but in other cases drug-induced diabetes may be permanent.
Glucocorticoids, atypical antipsychotics, and some cardiovascular medications like statins and diuretics are commonly associated with this.
Other medications, including certain anti-infectives, antineoplastics, and immunosuppressants, can also affect glucose metabolism.
New-onset diabetes after transplant (NODAT) is a condition where diabetes develops in an individual who previously was not living with diabetes, after a solid organ transplant.
It is a common and serious complication, occurring in 2% to 53% of all solid organ transplants.
It can occur as a side effect of the medications that you need to prevent rejection of your new organ.
NODAT is associated with increased risks of infection, cardiovascular events, graft rejection, and reduced survival.
