Open this publication in new window or tab >>Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Finland; A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Biostatistics and Data analysis core facility (BIOS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine.
Clinical Research Unit, Cancer Centrum, Region Vasterbotten, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden.
University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Department of Clinical Science, Mohn Center for Diabetes Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology (IBE), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Partner München-Neuherberg, Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany.
Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology (IBE), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Partner München-Neuherberg, Neuherberg, Germany.
Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Finland.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine.
HUNT Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Endocrinology, Clinic of Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
Department of Clinical Science, Mohn Center for Diabetes Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Partner Düsseldorf, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Partner Düsseldorf, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Helsinki University Hospital, Abdominal Centre, Endocrinology, Helsinki, Finland.
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2026 (English)In: The Lancet Regional Health: Europe, E-ISSN 2666-7762, Vol. 66, article id 101715Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: Adult-onset diabetes comprises subgroups differing in pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and risk of comorbidities. We investigated early phenotypic differences between individuals who later developed diabetes, stratified by subgroup at diabetes diagnosis.
Methods: We conducted a pooled analysis of nine prospective European cohorts with 3309 individuals developing incident diabetes and 13,963 age- and sex-matched controls without diabetes. Cases were assigned to previously defined cluster-based subgroups: severe autoimmune (SAID), insulin-deficient (SIDD), or insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), and moderate obesity- (MOD) or age-related diabetes (MARD). Clinical and metabolic characteristics were retroactively assessed for three time periods (>12, 6–12, 1–6 years) before diagnosis.
Findings: Despite similarly high body mass index (BMI) in MOD and SIRD at diagnosis, MOD differed from controls already >12 years before diagnosis (31% higher than controls), while BMI increased progressively in SIRD (from 14% to 25% higher than controls). Compared to controls in period 1–6 years, age-, sex-, and BMI-adjusted insulin-glucose ratio was higher in SIRD, MOD and MARD at fasting (88%, 45% and 14%, respectively) and 120 min (110%, 70%, 26%) during an oral glucose tolerance test (p < 0.0001 for all), and the first-phase insulin-glucose ratio was higher in SIRD (23% [6; 43] p = 0.0072) but lower in SIDD (−30% [−37; −22], p < 0.0001) and MARD (−29% [−34; −24], p < 0.0001). The autoimmune subgroup SAID also exhibited features of metabolic syndrome. Despite differences in HOMA2-B and HbA1c at diagnosis, insulin and glucose levels did not differ significantly between the SIDD and MARD subgroups 1–6 years earlier suggesting a rapid deterioration in glycemic control in SIDD around diagnosis.
Interpretation: Subgroups of diabetes display different trajectories of insulin resistance, insulin deficiency, and features of the metabolic syndrome before diagnosis. Funding: ERC, local governments, private foundations, University of Helsinki, and Research councils of Finland and Sweden.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2026
Keywords
Classification, Diabetes, Diabetes stratification, Diabetes subgroup, Diabetes subtype, Precision medicine
National Category
Endocrinology and Diabetes
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-256523 (URN)10.1016/j.lanepe.2026.101715 (DOI)001786082900001 ()42254809 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-105040614645 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council
2026-07-142026-07-142026-07-14Bibliographically approved