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According to PEOPLE, citing the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Trachtenberg died from complications of diabetes mellitus. The manner of death was ruled natural.
Trachtenberg was found on Feb. 26, in her apartment, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
According to Merck Manuals, diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the amount of sugar in the blood is elevated. Though commonly referred to as “diabetes,” doctors often use the full term to distinguish it from other rare conditions such as diabetes insipidus, which does not affect blood sugar, Merck Manual says.
Dr. Jennifer Cheng, D.O., — Chief of Endocrinology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center — did not comment on Trachtenberg's case, but explained that diabetes mellitus is a disease that can lead to death through damage to the body if poorly managed.
There are many complications of diabetes that may occur if sugars are not well controlled, she said.
"In diabetic patients, severe hyperglycemia, (DKA- Diabetic ketoacidosis) may occur causing too much acid to build in the blood which can lead to coma or mortality," Cheng said. "Severely high sugars may cause dehydration and change in mental status. It can lead to death if not properly treated. Severe hypoglycemia (low sugars) may occur that can cause seizures and death."
Diabetes also increases risk of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease, which may cause mortality in people with diabetes, according to Cheng, who added:
"Many complications and mortality from diabetes could be prevented with proper medication and use of technologies to help people manage their sugar control.”
The two main types — type 1 and type 2 — each have different causes and treatments but both can lead to dangerously high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) if not managed properly, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The medical examiner did not specify which type of diabetes Trachtenberg had.
PEOPLE said that Trachtenberg, who rose to fame on the Nickelodeon cult classic "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" before starring in Harriet the Spy in 1996, had undergone a liver transplant just before her death and may have experienced complications. The outlet also said that the actress had been feeling "really really down emotionally" and told friends she'd been struggling.
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