Misdiagnosis of Hidden Causes of Diabetes

Underlying conditions of Diabetes:

Although the majority of diabetes diagnoses are correct, occasionally the real cause of diabetes is an underlying condition. In some rare cases, the diabetes can be halted or even reversed by treating an underlying condition (e.g. hemochromatosis).

See detailed list of underlying causes of Diabetes below.

Underlying conditions list:

The list of possible underlying conditions mentioned in various sources for Diabetes includes:

• Metabolic syndrome - a syndrome with 4 key features (diabetes, hypertension, obesity/overweight, and high cholesterol).
• Insulin resistance
• Hemochromatosis - iron overload causes pancreas damage that can mimic Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
• Chronic pancreatitis - pancreas damage that can mimic diabetes.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - ovary cysts inhibit natural female hormones causing insulin resistance
• Carcinoid syndrome - glucose intolerance, protean manifestations, serotonin inhibits insulin production
• Pancreas surgery
• Pancreas trauma (type of Pancreas conditions)
• Overactive pituitary gland
• Overactive adrenal glands
• Pancreatic insufficiency
• Acromegaly
• Cushing's disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Adenocarcinomas
• Somatostatinoma
• Aldosteronoma-induced hypokalaemia
• Phaeochromocytoma
• Primary aldosteronism
• Wolfram's syndrome
• Leprechaunism
• Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome
• Insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) - can inhibit insulin and lead to insulin resistance.
• Type B insulin resistance - insulin receptor antibodies can inhibit insulin action.
• Stiff Man syndrome - about half have Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies and get Type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes as a complication:

Other conditions that might have Diabetes as a complication might be potential underlying conditions. The list of conditions listing Diabetes as a complication includes:

• Acromegaly
• Adult Cystic Fibrosis
• Apolipoprotein C 2I deficiency
• Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
• Biliary cirrhosis
• Chronic Pancreatitis
• Cushing's syndrome
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Gigantism
• Hematochromatosis
• Hemochromatosis
• Hemochromatosis type 1
• Hemochromatosis type 2
• Hemochromatosis type 3
• Hemochromatosis type 4
• Hereditary Hemochromatosis
• Hereditary pancreatitis
• Hyperinsulinism due to glucokinase deficiency
• Hyperinsulinism, diffuse
• Hyperprolactinemia
• Hyperthyroidism
• Juvenile tropical pancreatitis syndrome
• Pancreatitis
• Physical inactivity
• POEMS
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Primary Hyperaldosteronism
• Prolactinoma
• Secondary Biliary Cirrhosis
• Werner syndrome
• Wolfram's disease
• X-linked sideroblastic anaemia
• X-linked sideroblastic anemia

Diabetes as a symptom:

Conditions listing Diabetes as a symptom may also be potential underlying conditions.

You may also want to research other symptoms in our Symptoms Center.

• Aceruloplasminemia
• Achard-Thiers Syndrome
• Acinic cell carcinoma
• Acquired total lipodystrophy
• Acromegaly
• Adrenal adenoma, familial
• Adrenal Cancer
• Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms
• Adrenal gland hyperfunction
• Adrenal incidentaloma
• Adrenocortical carcinoma
• Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing syndrome
• Alves Castelo dos Santos syndrome
• Anophthalmia -- short stature -- obesity
• Atherosclerosis, premature -- deafness -- diabetes mellitus -- photomyoclonus -- nephropathy -- degenerative neurologic disease
• Atherosclerosis- deafness -- diabetes -- epilepsy -- nephropathy
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 1
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 10
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 11
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 12
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 2
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 3
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 4
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 5
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 6
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 7
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 8
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome, type 9
• Bruns-Garland syndrome
• Cardiomyopathy diabetes deafness
• Christian-Demyer-Franken syndrome
• Chromosome 15q duplication syndrome
• Chromosome 15q, deletion
• Chromosome 15q, trisomy
• Chronic Pancreatitis
• DEND syndrome
• Diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy
• Diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, deafness, mitochondrial form
• Diarrhea -- polyendocrinopathy -- infections, X-linked
• Diarrhea chronic with villous atrophy
• DIDMOAD Syndrome, Mitochondrial form
• Diseases associated with senile cataract
• Dup (2) (q11.2-q21.1)
• Ectopic ACTH Syndrome
• Endocrine pancreatic cancer
• Familial isolated deficiency of vitamin E
• Feigenbaum-Bergeron-Richardson syndrome
• Functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor
• Furukawa-Takagi-Nakao syndrome
• Gastrocutaneous syndrome
• Hemochromatosis
• Hyperadrenalism
• Ichthyosis and male hypogonadism
• Ichthyosis male hypogonadism
• Insulin-resistant acanthosis nigricans, type A
• Juvenile tropical pancreatitis syndrome
• Kearns-Sayre Syndrome
• Kyrle disease
• Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
• Lawrence-Seip syndrome
• Lipoatrophic diabetes
• Lipoatrophy with diabetes, hepatic steatosis, cardiomyopathy, and leukomelanodermic papules
• Lipodystrophy
• Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness
• Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness with cardiomyopathy
• Mental retardation -- epileptic seizures -- hypogonadism -- hypogenitalism -microcephaly -- obesity
• Mental retardation syndrome, Belgian type
• Mental retardation, epileptic seizures, hypogonadism and hypogenitalism, microcephaly, and obesity
• Metabolic disorders
• Neuropathy, hereditary motor and sensory, Okinawa type
• Niacin overdose
• Norrie Disease
• Norrie syndrome
• Pancreatic Islet Cell Cancer
• Pancreatic islet cell tumors (functioning tumor)
• Pancreatitis
• Pheochromocytoma
• Pituitary cancer, childhood
• Pituitary tumors, adult
• POEMS
• POEMS syndrome
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Polyendocrine deficiency
• Polyendocrine deficiency syndrome
• Polyendocrine deficiency syndrome type 2
• Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome type 3
• Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome type 4
• Powell-Buist-Stenzel syndrome
• Premature aging, Okamoto type
• Primary lipodystrophies
• Renal tubular acidosis, distal, type 4
• Retinohepatoendocrinologic syndrome
• Short stature cranial hyperostosis hepatomegaly diabetes
• Short stature, cranial hyperostosis, hepatomegaly and diabetes
• Siderosis
• Somatostatinoma
• Thiamine responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome
• Troell-Junet syndrome
• Van Goethem syndrome
• Wolfram Syndrome 2
• Wolfram Syndrome, Mitochondrial form
• Wolfram's disease

Discussion of underlying conditions of Diabetes:

"Other specific types" of diabetes result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes may account for 1 to 2 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. (Source: excerpt from Diabetes Statistics in the United States: NIDDK)

About underlying conditions:

With a diagnosis of Diabetes, it is important to consider whether there is an underlying condition causing Diabetes. These are other medical conditions that may possibly cause Diabetes. For general information on this form of misdiagnosis, see Underlying Condition Misdiagnosis or Overview of Misdiagnosis.

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