Practical Aspects of Monogenic Diabetes: A Clinical Point of View.

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A diagnosis of diabetes will naturally impact an individual’s life. Unfortunately, the type of diabetes is rarely confirmed, and patients and their physicians rarely question the classification. Some data show that 7% to 15% of patients are incorrectly classified (1). This challenge of diagnosis is especially relevant in young adults in whom the risk for error increases, particularly soon after diagnosis. Most cases of diabetes among people aged 15 to 40 years are type 1, while a minority are type 2, although type 2 is on the rise in this demographic due to the obesity epidemic, particularly among ethnic minorities (2). Atypical forms also appear at this age (2). Table 1 and Table 2 outline the clinical features that call into question a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and highlight the possible overlapping features of monogenic diabetes and type 2 diabetes. This article focuses on monogenic diabetes and neonatal diabetes. Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD) have been reviewed elsewhere (Table 3) (3–5).