Most people consider type 1 diabetes a childhood disease. Nothing could be further from the truth. In recent years the disease has been occurring in older individuals, and now half of people diagnosed are over 30. This is making the disease tricky to diagnose as doctors are not expecting it in this age group, and symptoms are usually more subtle in older people. This finding was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2016 Annual Meeting. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It occurs when the immune system attacks an individual’s pancreas, leaving it unable to manufacture sufficient insulin. As a result, blood sugar rises to dangerously high levels. The problem is, a doctor usually assumes an adult has got type 2 diabetes and prescribes metformin, where really the patient needs insulin. In young children type 1 diabetes often presents in a dramatic fashion and the child typically becomes so ill that they spend some time in hospital. In adults the disease usually develops more slowly. They often develop what is known as LADA, which stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood. Commenting on this finding, Dr Thomas of Medscape Medical News has said "I think it's an eye-opener and obviously has implications for how we diagnose and manage people and also the education people receive. We very much focus on childhood and adolescence and perhaps people diagnosed later don't get the same education.” Dr Thomas advised that medical practitioners should be aware that adults can develop autoimmune diabetes, as either classic type 1 or the slower onset form known as latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood (LADA). This is important to bear in mind because many diabetics are not receiving adequate medical care. If you are struggling to manage your blood sugar despite your best efforts, and you are not responding well to the medication your doctor gave you, ask your doctor for more tests to investigate the possibility of type 1 diabetes. As with any autoimmune disease, it is important to work on improving gut health and liver health, healing leaky gut and correcting nutrient deficiencies. I have outlined my treatment guidelines in detail in my book Healing Autoimmune Disease. Reference: