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News
People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) face almost twice the risk of developing demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to those without diabetes, according to new research presented at EASD 2026. The risk is even higher in women with T1D. Clinicians are being urged to stay alert to symptoms like fatigue and tingling in T1D patients rather than dismissing them.
People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are nearly twice as likely to develop demyelinating diseases — including multiple sclerosis (MS) — compared to those without diabetes, according to a large retrospective observational study presented at the EASD 2026 Annual Meeting in Milan. The study drew on two major US databases (MarketScan/Medicare and TriNetX), covering hundreds of thousands of matched patients, and is believed to be the first to examine this association across all age groups and for non-MS demyelinating diseases as well.
Women with T1D face a disproportionately higher risk, with incidence rates of demyelinating diseases roughly double those seen in men with T1D. Clinicians at the conference noted that symptoms like persistent fatigue and tingling — common complaints in T1D patients — are often misattributed to depression or diabetes itself, underscoring the need for greater vigilance.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: T1D is already known to raise the risk of other autoimmune conditions, but this study highlights a clinically underrecognized overlap with neurological disease. Providers caring for T1D patients — especially women — should factor demyelinating disease into their differential when patients report fatigue or neurological symptoms.
