08/09/2025
A new form of diabetes, Type 3c Diabetes Mellitus (T3cDM), has now been officially recognized in the medical community.
This type of diabetes differs from the more common Type 1 and Type 2 forms and results from diseases or injuries to the pancreas, such as chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic surgery, or pancreatic cancer.
Unlike Type 1 (autoimmune) or Type 2 (linked to insulin resistance), Type 3c stems from pancreatic dysfunction, affecting both blood sugar regulation and digestion.
Despite affecting a significant number of patients, T3c has often been misdiagnosed as Type 2 diabetes, leading to inappropriate treatment.
Proper diagnosis is crucial, as T3c patients often require both insulin therapy and enzyme replacement therapy to manage the dual loss of pancreatic function.
The recognition of this distinct diabetes type is important because it ensures more accurate diagnosis, tailored treatment, and better health outcomes.
Additionally, this acknowledgment highlights the need for greater awareness among healthcare providers, as many cases of pancreatic diabetes go unrecognized or are treated ineffectively under the umbrella of more familiar diabetes types.
There’s also emerging but still debated discussion in neuroscience regarding “Type 3 diabetes” as a term describing insulin resistance in the brain, potentially linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
While compelling, this connection hasn’t been fully endorsed as a clinical classification yet.
