What is the new ‘type 5 diabetes’ and did a British doctor in Jamaica predict it in 1955?
An international body has officially recognised the new type, but the Australian Diabetes Society remains cautious.
How many types of diabetes do you know?
The International Diabetes Federation has just recognised type 5 diabetes: a form of severe insulin-deficient diabetes where long-term nutrient deficiencies during childhood and adolescence impair development of the pancreas.
Its exact pathophysiology remains unclear, but the patients appear to have unique symptoms.
Insulin secretory capacity is much lower than in those with type 2 but higher compared with type 1, without evidence of insulin resistance.
