New Evidence Suggests Doctors Are Misdiagnosing A Third Type Of Diabetes

New Evidence Suggests Doctors Are Misdiagnosing a Third Type of Diabetes

The common understanding of diabetes mellitus includes two types: type one and type two. But there’s a third type that’s been around for a while you may not have even heard of—and some doctors think it’s being misdiagnosed.
Type 3c diabetes, or “Diabetes of the Exocrine Pancreas,” is a third type caused by pancreatic damage. But a recent study found that doctors were likely misdiagnosing this form of diabetes as type 2. But the two require different treatment.
“Several drugs used for type 2 diabetes, such as gliclazide, may not be as effective in type 3c diabetes,” Andrew McGovern from the University of Surry wrote in The Conversation. “Misdiagnosis, therefore, can waste time and money attempting ineffective treatments while exposing the patient to high blood sugar levels.”
Scientists have recognized other types of diabetes aside from type-1 (the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells) or type-2 (the body can’t make enough insulin) for a long time. Back in 2008, researchers worried that type 3c had been under- and misdiagnosed. A new study, published recently in the journal Diabetes Care, adds further evidence to that worry after a search through millions of health records in the United Kingdom.
The researchers found over 30,000 adult-onset cases of diabetes, and found 559 occurred after pancreatic disease. Despite the link between pancreatic disease and type 3c diabetes, 88 percent of those cases were still diagnosed with the more common type of adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes and only 3 percent diagnosed as type 3c—implying at least so Continue reading

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10 facts on diabetes

The number of people with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980. Prevalence is increasing worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The causes are complex, but the rise is due in part to increases in the number of people who are overweight, including an increase in obesity, and in a widespread lack of physical activity.
Diabetes of all types can lead to complications in many parts of the body and increase the risk of dying prematurely. In 2012 diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths globally. A large proportion of diabetes and its complications can be prevented by a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use.
In April 2016, WHO published the Global report on diabetes, which calls for action to reduce exposure to the known risk factors for type 2 diabetes and to improve access to and quality of care for people with all forms of diabetes. Continue reading

World Health Day 2016: Beat diabetes

6 April 2016 -- The number of people living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries. WHO is marking World Health Day, 7 April, by calling for action on diabetes. In its first “Global report on diabetes”, WHO highlights the need to step up prevention and treatment of the disease.
7 April 2016 -- 422 million adults have diabetes. That is 1 person in 11. Diabetes can lead to complications in many parts of the body and increase the risk of dying prematurely. Key actions for everyone include: eat healthily, be physically active, avoid excessive weight gain, check blood glucose, follow medical advice.
22 March 2016 -- The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign are to increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, in particular in low- and middle-income countries; and to trigger a set of specific, effective and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose, treat and care for people with diabetes.
4 April 2016 -- As it is in most countries around the world, diabetes is on the rise in Brazil. Efforts are being rolled out nationwide to help Brazilians with diabetes manage often debilitating health consequences and lead productive lives. WHO supports Brazil with these actions, helping health authorities implement programmes on prevention, diagnosis, early detection, and managing diabetes-related complications. Continue reading

The Difference Between Hypoglycemia and Diabetes

Both hypoglycemia and diabetes reflect the conditions where the blood glucose levels in the body are not normal. While one condition is known to reduce the level of blood glucose in the body, the other is mainly characterized by the high level of blood glucose. However, due to the very nature of these two, there is a host of other differences too. In this article, we shall explore the differences between hypoglycemia and diabetes. So, come and join in for the article “The Difference Between Hypoglycemia and Diabetes.”
Meaning of Hypoglycemia Versus Meaning of Diabetes:
Let us first look into the meaning of both hypoglycemia and diabetes to understand their differences.
Hypoglycemia is a condition that affects human being’s due to the blood glucose levels becoming too low, whereas diabetes is a disease which affects the body as the body is unable to either produce enough insulin or is not able to utilize the insulin so produced effectively. The body is not able to regulate the level of blood sugar effectively, thereby leading to high glucose levels. Thus, while hypoglycemia is a condition, diabetes is a wider term which is actually a disease.
Fasting Blood Sugar Level
The level of fasting blood sugar is also different in hypoglycemia when compared to that of diabetes.
While the fasting blood glucose in diabetes is more than 126 mg per dl, it is less than 70 mg per dl in case of hypoglycemia.
Warning Signs of the Two Conditions
How do you know whether you have diabetes or hypoglycemia? Well, the signs and symptoms of the two conditions are different from each other.
Fol Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes, once considered a disease for adults, is increasingly common in tweens and teens

For years, health experts have bemoaned the rise of childhood obesity in the United States. About 17% of kids and teens in the U.S. are now considered obese, a figure that has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A report in this week’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine lays out one of the consequences of all this excess weight: a corresponding increase in childhood cases of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when extra body fat makes it hard for cells to use insulin, a hormone that turns sugar into energy. Over time, blood sugar levels rise and cause blood vessels to become stiff, increasing the risk of life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure, among others. More than 75,000 Americans die of diabetes each year, the CDC says.
Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes, because it would take years to develop. (That’s in contrast to type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, which occurs when the immune system destroys the cells that make insulin.) But these days, doctors are diagnosing type 2 in school-age kids, and occasionally even in toddlers.
After reviewing data on 10- to 19-year-olds in primarily five states (California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington), researchers determined that 12.5 out of every 100,000 of them had a bona fide case of type 2 diabetes in 2011 and 2012. That compares with nine cases per 100,000 youth in 2002 and 2003.
After accounting for age, gender, race and ethnicity, the study authors fo Continue reading