Diabetes classifications redefined presented by Dr Elizabeth George, Endocrinologist
‘When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, we need to be thinking about whether they have an auto-immune disease or not and if they fulfill one of the cluster subsets. We need to consider what therapies would be best to target not only the primary disease but the comorbidities to improve their experience and reduce their long-term complication risk’ Elizabeth George
Elizabeth outlines the historical context and transformations of diabetes diagnosis and classifications.
She describes the five diabetes subtype clusters and how a correct diagnosis impacts medical and nutrition therapy management and treatment. For example, Cluster 3- Serious Insulin Resistant Diabetes (SIRD) requires a much more targeted and intensive approach to management than Cluster 5- Mild age-related diabetes (MARD).
She describes novel and new therapies in trial for prevention and early management of Type 1 diabetes.
In the final discussion Robyn and Elizabeth talk about:
- Subtypes of diabetes
- GLP-1 use and risk of sarcopenia
- Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
- ‘Brittle’ diabetes
- SGLT2 & GLP1 considerations in type 2 diabetes
- Antibody testing for T1DM and the implication s for medication and CGM funding
- The implications of misclassifying type 2 diabetes
Dr Elizabeth George undertook a biomedical science degree majoring in the fields of anatomy and physiology at the University of Queensland. She then completed her medical degree at Deakin University, her basic physician training at the Alfred Hospital, followed by her advanced training in endocrinology at Barwon Health, Monash Medical Centre and a clinical fellowship at Geelong Endocrinology and Diabetes Service. Teaching and medical education are two areas Elizabeth is passionate about and she assists with training and mentoring junior doctors. She is the co-director of physician education at Barwon Health where she also works as an endocrinologist and general physician.
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