Type 1 diabetes is frequently misdiagnosed in both children and adults, and misdiagnosis increases the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children, new research suggests.

Results of a survey of 2526 participants recruited from the T1D Exchange clinic and online communities were published in Clinical Diabetes. Overall, the survey revealed 25% of respondents themselves or their children with type 1 diabetes had been initially misdiagnosed and that misdiagnosis was associated with an 18% increased risk for DKA compared with those in whom type 1 diabetes was recognized and treated with insulin immediately.