Last week, I came across an Irish newspaper article on type 1 diabetes and found it very upsetting and distressing because dangerous omission of adult onset type 1 diabetes in the entire piece. This issue is very personal to me because over the last 12 years, I have met so many people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 30’s, 40’s and beyond. I also know that type 1 diabetes in adults is frequently misdiagnosed and I suspect this may have resulted in fatalities that we don’t yet know about.

ADULTS ARE AS LIKELY TO DEVELOP TYPE 1 DIABETES

We now have published research proving that type 1 diabetes is not a childhood illness. In 2017, research published by the University of Exeter Medical School determined that 50% of all people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were over the age of 30 years proving that adults are as likely to develop type 1 diabetes as children.

We also know this from the name change from Juvenile diabetes in the 1970’s/80’s to Insulin Dependent Diabetes and eventually type 1, (yes, four decades ago! Not yesterday’s news!) but when the incidences of adult onset type 1 diabetes were more common the name was changed to Insulin Dependent Diabetes and eventually Type 1. Again, I repeat, this is not new information!

THE OMISSION OF ADULT ONSET TYPE 1 DIABETES IS DANGEROUS

MISDIAGNOSIS

Under normal non Covid circumstances, early signs of Type 1 diabetes in adults is usually brushed off or mistaken for something else, A study from the University of Exeter Medical School revealed that 38% percent of adults with type 1 diabetes are also misdiagnosed. These incidences of misdiagnoses lead to consistently high glucose levels, from not having the right treatment, can greatly increase the risk of developing additional long-term complications.

UNDIAGNOSED DIABETES CAN BE FATAL

A study published in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology in 2012 determined that one third of diabetes deaths in adults in Maryland, USA were from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. The study in Maryland was just one small study and we don’t have any other data on this, so we will probably never know how many people die from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

CONCERN FOR ADULTS WITH UNDIAGNOSED DIABETES IN ISOLATION

During this period of Coronavirus COVID 19 isolation, many working adults are doing so from home and not in regular physical contact with people who may suggest seeking help or notice their symptoms.

I was diagnosed as an adult. I was not where my parents could observe the dramatic changes in my physical being; I took it upon myself to seek help only after a friend noticed one of my symptoms (and probably saving my life). Imagine if my friend didn’t say anything to me because they believed that diabetes was a childhood illness?

DIABETES ORGANIZATION STEPPING UP

Diabetes UK shared a similar post to this article earlier last week but I was so relieved when they deleted their original post to reflect the concern from the adult diabetes community. Diabetes Australia have also made sure that their posts reflect that type 1 diabetes can happen at any age.

Type 1 diabetes symptoms campaigns can be just as dangerous if they continue to omit the adult population. It is extremely important that any type 1 diabetes symptom awareness campaigns highlight that this diagnosis can happen AT ANY AGE!

The 4T’s of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes are known as the 4 Ts:

Toilet
Thirsty
Thin
Tired

Please seek help if you are experiencing these symptoms. Find out more about these symptoms here.

CONCERNS FOR OTHER SERIOUS ILLNESSES

This issue is not specific to diabetes; it is relevant to all serious illnesses. Dr Mary Favier, a GP told The Cork Echo that ““Hospitals are reporting that things like heart attacks, appendicitis, people presenting for the first time with diabetes are way down. I think people are scared to go to hospital.” “We have to ask where are the people with heart attacks going, are they staying at home with chest pain?

Dangerous Omission of Adults in Undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes