Ethnic Differences in β-Cell Functional Reserve and Clinical Features in Patients With Ketosis-Prone Diabetes

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) has been reported in subjects who lack the clinical characteristics of type 1 diabetes (1–3). In a preliminary analysis of the “types” of diabetes in patients presenting with DKA, we found that Hispanic patients had a significantly higher proportion with type 2 diabetes when compared with Caucasians and African Americans (1). We performed a prospective analysis to compare demographic and clinical characteristics among ketosis-prone indigent subjects belonging to these three ethnic groups. We interviewed 271 consecutive patients at the time of admission for DKA over a 3-year period. Fasting serum C-peptide and …