Barely Positive GAD Antibodies

[JoeJOns]

Hi,

So my antibodies came back as about 3.0 I think. As I have barely positive GAD antibodies and no sign of infection during my DKA. What is a likely cause of this? I have heard the vast majority of people who go into DKA and are type 1 diabetic either have high antibodies or an infection tht triggered the diabetes.

 

[trophywench]

Err - because you had an auto immune attack on your pancreatic Beta cells which killed em off?

 

[JoeJOns]

Err - because you had an auto immune attack on your pancreatic Beta cells which killed em off?

I was told by the endocrinologist that on diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, through DKA, GAD auto antibodies are generally very high.. Hence me now wondering

 

[leonS]

The clue is in the word "generally". This means not always so!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It’s certainly not unheard of from what I can tell.

And ketoacidosis is caused by absolute insulin deficiency, so you would need to administer insulin by injection or pump - in which case a diagnosis of T1 allows access to more treatment options.

Do you know why the non-routine tests were carried out? Are the Drs unsure of your classification?

 

[JoeJOns]

It’s certainly not unheard of from what I can tell.

And ketoacidosis is caused by absolute insulin deficiency, so you would need to administer insulin by injection or pump - in which case a diagnosis of T1 allows access to more treatment options.

Do you know why the non-routine tests were carried out? Are the Drs unsure of your classification?

Hi Mike!

They must be unsure by the sounds of it. I'm not sure if they think I am a type 2 who was very unfortunate, a typical type 1, or some sort of other form such as LADA.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Mike!

They must be unsure by the sounds of it. I'm not sure if they think I am a type 2 who was very unfortunate, a typical type 1, or some sort of other form such as LADA.

IMHO it would be helpful for you to retain the T1 flag. Most of your diagnosis account seems to tick that box and it seems a more reliable way to access the widest range of insulin delivery and monitoring options.

 

[JoeJOns]

IMHO it would be helpful for you to retain the T1 flag. Most of your diagnosis account seems to tick that box and it seems a more reliable way to access the widest range of insulin delivery and monitoring options.

I agree with you Mike. I am happy to be classed as type 1 diabetic and I see it as an advantage if anything. I'm healthier than ever. That just confused me with the auto anti bodies. Is there any known reasons they are low in type 1's?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I agree with you Mike. I am happy to be classed as type 1 diabetic and I see it as an advantage if anything. I'm healthier than ever. That just confused me with the auto anti bodies. Is there any known reasons they are low in type 1's?

When we reviewed the antibody testing evidence for the NICE T1 guidelines (I was a lay member of the Guideline Development Group for the 2015 update) the available clinical studies for antibody testing showed pretty weak results. You had T2s with antibodies, and T1s with hardly any. Generally there was a higher antibody count sooner after diagnosis, but once most of the beta cells had been fried, I got the impression that the antibodies kinda fell away. Additionally there are more than one type, so it may depend on whether you were checked for GAD64 or one or other of the alternatives. Checking for at least 2 was advised, but even then the conclusion was that classification was best done on clinical factors.