Sudden onset of immune-mediated type 1 diabetes mellitus in a 93-year-old woman: a case report

Excerpt

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) has long been considered a disorder of children and adolescents and to a lesser extent of adults [1]. Over the past decades more insight was gained about the prevalence of T1D in older age groups although data remain scarce [1‐3]. Diabetes is a heterogeneous disease and the clinical picture may be overlapping between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, especially in adults. Therefore, misclassification may be one of the most important issues in epidemiological studies on the prevalence of T1D in older age groups [1]. A clinical picture with polydipsia, polyuria and ketoacidosis along with overt hyperglycemia are the diagnostic hallmarks of type 1 diabetes in children and young adults [1] but the clinical presentation is often less pronounced at advanced age. Worldwide, most studies have addressed T1D in children under age 15 years. Many countries have reported their incidence and trends in incidence of childhood-onset T1D. Few studies included young adults but mostly under age 40 [2‐4]. In contrast, original T1D cases in elderly adults are less known. We report a case of sudden onset autoimmune T1D with ketoacidosis in a 93-year-old woman. The literature has been reviewed. …