Type 5 Diabetes Officially Recognised at World Congress 2025 - Video

A newly recognised form of diabetes-Type 5 diabetes-was officially announced this week at the World Congress of Diabetes 2025 in Bangkok by Prof Peter Schwarz, President of the International Diabetes Federation. Distinct from Type 1 and Type 2, Type 5 diabetes primarily affects underweight individuals who have no family history of diabetes and display atypical symptoms.

Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which involves insulin resistance, those with Type 5 are insulin deficient but not insulin resistant, indicating a fundamentally different physiological profile. The condition was first observed in the 1960s in Jamaica and referred to as J-type diabetes. It was recognised by the

World Health Organization in 1985 but removed from classification in 1998 due to insufficient evidence.

However, new research published in 2022 by Dr Nihal Thomas and Dr Riddhi Dasgupta of Christian Medical College, Vellore, in collaboration with Prof Meredith Hawkins of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has confirmed its distinct nature. Their study, published in Diabetes Care, laid the scientific foundation for its reclassification. In response, a global task force will be established to further investigate the condition, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment, particularly in low-BMI populations where the condition may be more prevalent.

Reference: https://idf2025.org/