Doctors Warn Of 'Double Diabetes' Increase, UK

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 26 Oct 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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Doctors are increasingly seeing people with mixed symptoms that could be attributed to both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, making it harder for them to be diagnosed with a specific type of diabetes and to be given the appropriate treatment for the condition.

According to an article published in the latest issue of 'New Scientist' magazine, the phenomenon, dubbed 'double diabetes', could also be linked to rising levels of obesity.

"Type 1 and Type 2 are two distinctly different conditions. Although some aspects of the conditions are the same, treatment can vary greatly," said Simon O'Neill, Director of Care, Information and Advocacy at Diabetes UK.

"Diabetes UK has evidence that there are some people with diabetes who are unsure of which condition they have. This is potentially harmful as they may be missing out on the best treatment for their particular needs."

"There are still many pieces of the diabetes jigsaw missing. Diabetes UK would welcome new research regarding the classification of diabetes.

"However, at the present time, our concern is that people with diabetes are given the most appropriate treatment to prevent long-term complications and help people with their day-to-day diabetes management. This is based on long-term trials such as the UKPDS (UK Prospective Diabetes Study)."

http://www.diabetes.org.uk