Precise Diabetology: Targeted Treatment and Prevention of Complications
Diabetes comes in various types. Studies, including those conducted by the DZD, show that there are different subtypes of type 2 diabetes – with varying degrees of risk for other diseases. It is possible that these new findings enable more targeted treatment and the prevention of complications.
Subtypes With Different Risks
In addition, researchers at the DZD site in Düsseldorf (DDZ) were also able to identify different subtypes of diabetes - with different risks for concomitant diseases - in the German Diabetes Study. The risk of a person with diabetes of developing complications such as fatty liver and damage to the eyes, nerves or kidneys differs depending on the subtype that person is classified into.
Algorithm for Precise Diabetes Diagnosis
The DDZ researchers have now validated an innovative algorithm that can be used to distinguish the diversity of diabetes in terms of insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, adipose tissue distribution and proinflammatory profiles, even on the basis of routinely collected variables. This would enable early detection of people who produce less insulin within the first five years of being diagnosed with diabetes or who are prone to high blood pressure or lipid metabolism disorders. Variations in mortality risk can also be identified.
These research findings have the potential to change the way type 2 diabetes is understood and treated and make it possible to enter the world of precision diabetology.
Publications
Schön M, ..., Roden M, Wagner R; German Diabetes Study Group. Analysis of type 2 diabetes heterogeneity with a tree-like representation: insights from the prospective German Diabetes Study and the LURIC cohort. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2024 Feb;12(2):119-131. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00329-7. Epub 2023 Dec 21. PMID: 38142707.
Zaharia OP, ..., Roden M; German Diabetes Study Group. Risk of diabetes-associated diseases in subgroups of patients with recent-onset diabetes: a 5-year follow-up study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019 Sep;7(9):684-694. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30187-1. Epub 2019 Jul 22. PMID: 31345776.
Contact
Birgit Niesing
niesing(at)dzd-ev.de
+49 (0)89 3187-3971
Dr. Astrid Glaser
glaser(at)dzd-ev.de
+49 (0)89 3187-1619
DDZ Study with Innovative Insights into the Heterogeneity of Type 2 Diabetes (Press release, 23.01.2024)
Subtypen des Diabetes: Gezielter Behandeln und Vorbeugen (diabinfo.de - German only)
A New Diabetes Classification? Subgroups of Type 2 Diabetes have Specific Risk of Diabetes-Associated Diseases such as Fatty Liver and Neuropathy (Press release, 06.08.2019)