Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Nov 21, 2022
  • Author: William H Lamb, MD, MBBS, FRCP(Edin), FRCP, FRCPCH; Chief Editor: Sasigarn A Bowden, MD, FAAP  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Children with MODY may present as having type 1 diabetes. As they may respond better to oral hypoglycemic agents, recognizing MODY as a possibility is important. Always consider the diagnosis of MODY in the following circumstances:

  • A strong family history of diabetes across 2 or more generations - The age of diagnosis usually falls with each successive generation

  • Persistently low insulin requirements, particularly with good blood glucose control

  • Development of diabetes from birth or within the first 9 months of life

Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of type 1 diabetes include the following:

  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus

  • MODY

  • Psychogenic polydipsia

  • Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

  • High-output renal failure

  • Transient hyperglycemia with illness and other stress

  • Steroid therapy

  • Factitious illness (Münchhausen syndrome by proxy)

Differential Diagnoses