Type 5 Diabetes

Type 5 Diabetes Latest News

Type 5 diabetes has been officially recognised as a distinct form of diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

What is Type 5 Diabetes?

• Type 5 diabetes primarily affects lean, undernourished teenagers and young adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• It is caused by malnutrition-induced reduction in insulin production, unlike Type 2 diabetes, which involves insulin resistance with continuing insulin secretion.
• In Type 5, the pancreatic beta cells function abnormally, resulting in severely reduced insulin secretion.
• This form of diabetes has long been neglected in medical research and often misdiagnosed.

Historical Background

• The condition was first reported in Jamaica in 1955 under the term J-type diabetes.
• In 1985, the World Health Organization (WHO) named it “malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus”, but this was removed in 1999 due to lack of causal evidence linking malnutrition to diabetes.
• Despite this, similar cases were later reported in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Korea, mostly in the Global South.
• The condition is estimated to affect about 25 million people globally.

Clinical Markers of Type 5 Diabetes

• No autoimmune or genetic cause is associated with this condition.
• Patients have very low BMI (<18.5 kg/m²), much lower than typical Type 2 diabetic patients.
• Insulin levels are extremely low, significantly below Type 2 diabetes and slightly above Type 1 diabetes.
• Body fat percentage is substantially lower than in Type 2 patients.
• Dietary intake of protein, fibre, and micronutrients is notably inadequate.

Type 5 Diabetes FAQs

Q1. What is Type 5 Diabetes?
Ans. Type 5 Diabetes is a proposed classification of diabetes linked to genetic mutations affecting insulin secretion and action, distinct from the more common Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Q2. How is Type 5 Diabetes different from Type 2 Diabetes?
Ans. Type 5 Diabetes typically involves specific genetic defects affecting pancreatic β-cells or insulin signalling pathways, while Type 2 Diabetes primarily involves insulin resistance and lifestyle factors.

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