Around 100,000 people in England have been wrongly diagnosed with diabetes or given the wrong type of the condition, according to a report by the Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS Diabetes. The errors, affecting about 4% of diabetes patients, stem from mistakes by medical staff and a lack of understanding of the disease.
The report found that 50,000 patients were told they had diabetes when they did not, while another 50,000 were misclassified as having Type 1 instead of Type 2, or vice versa. The confusion is partly due to rising obesity rates, which make it harder to distinguish between the two types.
Professor Simon de Lusignan of Surrey University and Professor Kamlesh Khunti of Leicester University highlighted a common misunderstanding: changing a patient's diagnosis from Type 2 to Type 1 when they start insulin therapy. This can lead to inappropriate care, as insulin guidelines differ significantly between the types.
Rarer forms of diabetes, such as mature onset diabetes of the young, are often misdiagnosed as Type 1, resulting in children receiving insulin injections when tablets would be more effective. Some patients may also receive reduced care if they are not on the correct Quality and Outcomes Framework register.
The researchers examined records from five GP practices in Surrey and found a 5% error rate. Professor Khunti noted that while misdiagnosis rates in other countries can reach 50%, the 4% rate in England is lower than for conditions like asthma or heart failure. He added that few patients suffered negative clinical effects, though some may face insurance issues.
