Different diabetes

In the 2nd century AD, Aretaeus the Cappadocian noted that some people with diabetes were thin, and others were overweight. In the late 19th century Lancereaux called these diabète maigre and diabète gros.1 Since then, these have been named juvenile and maturity-onset diabetes, insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. But of course there are not just two types of diabetes – there may be thousands. In many cases, the cause of a person's diabetes is multifactorial. Sometimes the type of diabetes is unclear. Even when it is clear, diabetes type may be wrongly recorded.