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Diabetes of Unclear Type in an Adolescent Boy With Multiple Islet-cell Autoantibody Positivity Successfully Managed With Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Alone: A Case Report.

Can J Diabetes · 2023

Last updated 2026-05-28

An adolescent with unclear diabetes type—marked by obesity, strong insulin production, multiple islet autoantibodies, and severe high blood sugar—was successfully treated with the GLP-1 drug liraglutide alone. The case highlights challenges in classifying diabetes and the need for personalized treatment approaches.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalCan J Diabetes, 2023
Citations3
Relative citation ratio0.39
NIH percentile24
Molecules
Conditions studied Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes classification has traditionally considered type 1 and type 2 diabetes as 2 separate entities with different pathogenic mechanisms. However, clinicians and researchers see increasingly more exceptions to this conventional paradigm, leading to a concept of mixed phenotypes in diabetes classification. Herein we report the case of an adolescent with unclear diabetes type due to the presence of obesity, robust endogenous insulin production, multiple islet autoantibody positivity and severe hyperglycemia at diabetes diagnosis that has been successfully treated with liraglutide therapy alone. Our case report highlights the difficulty of diabetes classification and subsequent need for personalized medicine with regard to diabetes management.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 36075851 ↗