Doctors are wildly misdiagnosing this new form of diabetes

(Image credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)

published 25 October 2017

Diabetes has long been divided into Type 1 and Type 2. But a third type has entered the mix — and doctors aren't diagnosing it correctly.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce insulin and is usually diagnosed at a young age. Type 2 diabetes shows up later in life when the pancreas can't make enough insulin to keep up with the body. This new third type, Type 3c, starts with a damaged pancreas.

A recent study from the American Diabetes Association found only 3 percent of people with Type 3c have actually received a correct diagnosis. These misdiagnoses mean people with Type 3c might not be getting effective treatments. Type 3c diabetics require insulin, but may also benefit from taking digestive enzyme tablets, one of the study's researchers wrote in The Conversation. That alternative treatment option is what sets Type 3c apart from the other types.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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