There has been a sustained increase in the prevalence of diabetes since the last decade of the pas millennium as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) have found. The number of diagnosed cases by 2010 was estimated at 18.8 million. In additional, another 7 million cases of diabetes remain undiagnosed. This undermines the efforts to curtail the rising prevalence. On the management side, physicians need to determine whether the patient has Type 1 or Type2 diabetes. This distinction is important in the management because while Type 1 is dependent on insulin, diet programs and exercise are viable interventions for patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Physicians have experienced challenges in differentiating the two types of diabetes during diagnosis (Oram et al., 2016). As highlighted above, the accurate distinction between the two types is crucial for proper management and treatment. In light of these challenges, Oram et al., (2016) developed a new diagnostic tool that exploits existing research on genetic variants that are related with diabetes. Using this research, the scholars designed genetic risk scores for the two types of diabetes.
The genetic risk scores were tested on 3,887 cases from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. The results showed that the genetic risk scores for Type 1 diabetes had a relatively high sensitivity and an overtly high specificity. This tool is independent of the autoantibody and clinical features, the variables used in differentiating between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, variables that Pihoker, Gilliam, Hampe & Lernmark (2005) have shown are inconclusive at times.
The new diagnostic tool offers reprieve where little existed before. It improves the accuracy of the diagnostic practices of physicians. It will contribute to the proper management of diabetes mellitus. It will also improve the patient outcomes.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Increasing Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes — United States and Puerto Rico, 1995–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 61(45); 918-921.
Oram, R., Patel, K., Hill, A., Shields, B., McDonald, T., Jones, A., Hattersley, A. and Weedon, M. (2016). A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Can Aid Discrimination Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Young Adults. Diabetes Care. 39(3):337-44.
Pihoker, C., Gilliam, L., Hampe, C. and Lernmark, A. (2005). Autoantibodies in diabetes. Diabetes. 54(2): S52-S61.
