Discovery of diabetes in the elderly: what diagnosis?

Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10% of all diabetes cases. It appears most often during childhood or adolescence. We report the case of a hypertensive overweight patient of 79 years who consulted for asthenia in context of polyuria-polydipsia syndrome in which blood glucose assay revealed a diabetes mellitus associated with ketosis. Despite the age, the body mass index and the history of the patient, type 1 diabetes diagnosis should be considered in this clinical presentation with brutal and symptomatic early. The imagery excluding a pancreatic tumor and positive research of circulating autoantibodies will confirm the diagnosis.