Although most cases of type 2 diabetes remain in a noninsulin-
dependent state, it is known that some patients progress
to an insulin-dependent state as a result of exhausting their
endogenous insulin secretion. The term ‘insulin-dependent
state’ means that insulin treatment is essential to sustain life,
whereas patients whose conditions do not require insulin treatment
for survival, but require insulin injections for glycemic
control, are considered to be in a non-insulin-dependent state1.
Therefore, the diagnostic criteria that can distinguish type 1
diabetes from type 2 diabetes with insulin-dependent state are
important for general practitioners. Here, we propose the diagnostic
criteria for acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus.