Development, early diagnosis and prevention of type 1 diabetes

It is intrinsically important to better understand the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and to develop strategies to recognise and treat type 1 diabetes at an early stage of disease. In order to better achieve these goals, we work closely with the Institute for Diabetes Research, are a training centre for the Fr1da study and participate in early detection studies such as Fr1da or GPPAD.

In recent decades, both the incidence of T1D and - due to the increase in obesity in children and adolescents - the incidence of T2D have been rising. However, not all children and adolescents with diabetes can be clearly assigned to one of these two forms of the disease. There are patients who have characteristics of both T1D and T2D. With the help of large registries such as the Bavarian DiMelli Registry, which includes both clinical data and records laboratory parameters, diabetes phenotypes can be characterised more precisely.

In addition to T1D and T2D, there are very rare forms of diabetes in children that are nevertheless relevant in everyday clinical practice. These are subsumed in the guideline as "other specific types of diabetes". These are genetic defects of ß-cell function or insulin action, diseases of the exocrine pancreas, diabetes in endocrinopathies, diabetes induced by drugs, diabetes in infections, rare forms of immunologically induced diabetes or genetic syndromes in the context of which diabetes occurs (e.g. Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, Prader Willi syndrome, etc.).

Due to the rarity of the diseases, individual centres usually treat only one or a few patients with forms of diabetes from the group "other specific types of diabetes". With the help of large epidemiological registers like the DPV registry clinical and laboratory-chemical data, as well as on therapy and course, can be analysed.