This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Most adults with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which is a polygenic disorder, meaning that we haven't found just one gene that defines it. We all know what we consider to be classic type 2 diabetes: someone who is perhaps older, heavier, has metabolic syndrome, and has family members with diabetes. However, looks can be deceiving.
In my type 1 clinic in East Los Angeles, I see many Latino individuals with type 1 diabetes who also have metabolic syndrome and are often misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. When I see these patients, I tend to diagnose them based on a positive islet autoantibody level and/or their clinical requirement for insulin.
I also do a large amount of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in people with type 2 diabetes, even those on noninsulin therapies, and I see so many different variations in daily glucose profiles. It's often hard to believe that all of these people have the same disorder. I'm sure we're going to find many subtypes of type 2 diabetes even though we haven't defined them yet.
A number of people have tried to categorize type 2 diabetes into these subtypes. In 2018,
COMMENTARY
Diagnosing Diabetes: Many Variations in Type 2 Profile
Anne L. Peters, MD
DisclosuresOctober 13, 2023
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Most adults with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which is a polygenic disorder, meaning that we haven't found just one gene that defines it. We all know what we consider to be classic type 2 diabetes: someone who is perhaps older, heavier, has metabolic syndrome, and has family members with diabetes. However, looks can be deceiving.
In my type 1 clinic in East Los Angeles, I see many Latino individuals with type 1 diabetes who also have metabolic syndrome and are often misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. When I see these patients, I tend to diagnose them based on a positive islet autoantibody level and/or their clinical requirement for insulin.
I also do a large amount of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in people with type 2 diabetes, even those on noninsulin therapies, and I see so many different variations in daily glucose profiles. It's often hard to believe that all of these people have the same disorder. I'm sure we're going to find many subtypes of type 2 diabetes even though we haven't defined them yet.
A number of people have tried to categorize type 2 diabetes into these subtypes. In 2018,
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Cite this: Diagnosing Diabetes: Many Variations in Type 2 Profile - Medscape - Oct 13, 2023.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Author
Anne L. Peters, MD
Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, Keck School of Medicine; Director, University of Southern California Westside Center for Diabetes, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Disclosure: Anne L. Peters, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Serve(d) on the advisory board for: Abbott Diabetes Care; Becton Dickinson; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Livongo; Medscape; Merck & Co., Inc.; Novo Nordisk; Omada Health; OptumHealth; sanofi; Zafgen
Received research support from: Dexcom; MannKind Corporation; Astra Zeneca
Serve(d) as a member of a speakers bureau for: Novo Nordisk