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Distinguishing between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is critical because delayed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is associated with 20% or more risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, a major cause of death in children. Differentiating between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is also extremely important for the choice of appropriate therapy. While the clinical presentation of a patient may not allow unambiguous discrimination between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the presence of one or more islet autoantibodies can support the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, according to William Winter, MD, FCAP, the director of the UF Health Pathology Laboratories' Endocrinology Unit. Because islet autoantibodies can also predict the development of type 1 diabetes, once safe and effective therapies are available to prevent this disease, islet autoantibody testing will become routine in medical practice, as Dr. Winter explains in this CAPcast. Dr. Winter led the development of a Clinical Pathology Improvement Program or CPIP course on this topic.
