13 Medical Conditions Related To Diabetes

Diabetes is closely linked to quite a few other medical conditions — both because diabetes can lead to complications and because some conditions directly cause diabetes. What conditions are we talking about, and what's their connection to diabetes?

1. Glucagonoma

Glucagonoma is a condition in which your body makes too much glucagon, a type of hormone. This increases the level of glucose in your body. Like diabetics, people with glucagonoma will have high blood sugar levels. In fact, patients with glucagonoma are highly likely to develop diabetes due to an insulin and glucagon imbalance — approximately 80 to 90 percent of patients with glucagonoma will also have diabetes.

2. Chronic pancreatitis

The pancreas is the organ that makes insulin, the hormone tasked with reducing blood glucose levels. Chronic pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is constantly inflamed, leading to impaired functionality of beta cells (the cell type responsible for making insulin). Thus, the body is no longer able to metabolize glucose as efficiently as before.

3. Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition in which patients produce large amounts of thick and sticky mucus, causing scarring of the pancreas. As the pancreas is involved in making insulin, the scarring impairs normal insulin production. Thus, cystic fibrosis patients often become insulin-deficient, similar to type 1 diabetics.

4. Alzheimer’s disease

Some studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease is closely linked to type 2 diabetes. In fact, when patients with Alzheimer’s also have diabetes, some people call it type 3 diabetes. Studies are underway to determine why this link exists though many researchers believe that it is because when diabetes is not controlled, the high levels of sugar in the blood cause damage to the many organs, including the brain. 

5. Cushing’s syndrome

Cushing’s syndrome is characterized by high levels of cortisol in the blood. Patients with Cushing’s syndrome develop a variety of symptoms, which include high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels. In some cases, patients develop diabetes if Cushing’s syndrome is left untreated.

6. Pancreatectomy

7. Pancreatic cancer

Studies have revealed a link between type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer. It is unclear whether pancreatic cancer contributes to diabetes or vice versa. We do know that diabetics are more 1.5 to two times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Additionally, approximately 80 percent of patients with pancreatic cancer present with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance when they are diagnosed.

8. Celiac disease

Another autoimmune disease, celiac primarily affects the small intestine. Patients with one autoimmune disease are more likely to develop another autoimmune disease. Since type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease too, type 1 diabetes patients have a higher risk of developing celiac disease. In fact, between four and nine percent of people with type 1 diabetes will also have celiac disease, while there is no such correlation among people with type 2 diabetes.

9. Rheumatoid arthritis, bone and joint disorders

Rheumatoid arthritis is another autoimmune disease. It develops because the immune system attacks the joints. Type 1 diabetics are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have identified the presence of a single gene that, if inherited, increases the likelihood of developing both rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

10. Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a female endocrine disease that can impact fertility and cause extra hair growth, oily skin, and unpredictable menstrual cycles, among many other symptoms. PCOS also, very often, causes insulin resistance, and it is no surprise that many women living with the condition also become diabetic.

11. Addison's disease

Addison's disease is a long-term endocrine condition in which patients have hypocortisolism (low cortisol levels) because the adrenal glands don’t make enough steroid hormones. The symptoms of Addison’s disease include abdominal pain, weakness, and weight loss. Addison's disease is an autoimmune disorder, as the immune system attacks the adrenal glands. Hence, patients with type 1 diabetes are more likely to develop the disease. The combination of Addison's disease and type 1 diabetes is so common that it even has a name — Schmidt syndrome.

12. Autoimmune thyroid disease

Autoimmune thyroid disease develops because the immune system attacks the thyroid, which leads to endocrine (hormonal) abnormalities. Again, patients with type 1 diabetes are more likely to get autoimmune thyroid disease.

13. Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a viral infection of your liver, which can cause liver scarring, liver failure and, in some cases, cancer. It can be fatal if left untreated and can spread to people through blood, open sores, or other body fluids. Patients with diabetes have higher rates of diabetes than healthy people.