An international team of researchers has made a key discovery: many children and young adults in Sub-Saharan Africa diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may have a different form of the disease - one not caused by the immune system, unlike classic T1D. This discovery could change how diabetes is diagnosed, treated and managed across the region, paving the way for more accurate care and better outcomes.

The research was published today in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

“This is the first study across several Sub-Saharan African countries to use the same lab tests and genetic tools to learn more about type 1 diabetes. We've done similar research in the U.S. with different groups, but what's exciting here is being able to compare results between Africa and the U.S.,” said the paper’s co-author Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the Colorado School of Public Health on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The researchers enrolled 894 participants with youth-onset diabetes from three African countries: Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa. They compared findings from this population with similar studies done in the U.S. in the same age range.