How many types are there???

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Emzi

Emzi

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi Guys, Just a quick question ...

I was just wondering how many types of diabetes are there? :confused:

I have got

Type 1
Type 2
gestational
Pre-diabetes

Is there any I havent thought about?

Thanks
Em 🙂
 
Thats sounds about right...

Not heard of pre diabetes......explain please...........
 
So is 1.5 on the verge of actually needing insulin full time.............
 
Pre - diabetes or borderline is when you have high blood sugar but not high enough to be clinically type 1 or 2.

It may not be a type, if not i will take it out, can some one give me a definition of MODY and LADA - type 1.5???

Thanks guys
 
I think MODY is Maturity Onset Diabetes in the Young. Type 2 is sometimes called Maturity Onset Diabetes as it happens most often in older adults.
 
novorapidboi26 said:
So is 1.5 on the verge of actually needing insulin full time.............
Click to expand...

My specialist explained that when he first qualified there was Type 1, which if you hadn't got by late teens you were not likely to. Type 2 you could get at any age, and usually later in life.
As more people seem to be getting Type 1 much later in life (I was 50+), it was known as Type 1.5 when identified. That's what he told me.
 
RWJ said:
My specialist explained that when he first qualified there was Type 1, which if you hadn't got by late teens you were not likely to. Type 2 you could get at any age, and usually later in life.
As more people seem to be getting Type 1 much later in life (I was 50+), it was known as Type 1.5 when identified. That's what he told me.
Click to expand...

I was the same - it's a slow onset form of Type 1 where the pancreatic beta cell function declines over a period of time. In younger people the decline is often quite rapid, hence children often being on the verge of DKA shortly after symptoms appear. My symptoms appeared about 2 years befor a virus came along that totally scuppered my pancreas and I got DKA. If recognised early enough, then LADA/Type 1.5 can sometimes be treated with tablets that stimulate the remaining beta cells to produce more insulin - although some feel that this 'wears out' the pancreas even quicker! Often, Type 1.5 is misdiagnosed as Type 2 due to age, as happened to our moderator AlisonM.

MODY is caused by specific genetic factors I believe, and tends to run in families for that reason.

You might also mention a term that is increasingly used these days - Type 3. This represents those who don't have diabetes, but are affected by it in one way or another, as parent, partner, spouse, carer, child etc.

Goodness! You'll need a week! 🙂
 
I have been doing some digging around on the web this morning on this very subject - there are two main groups, primary and secondary. The Primary group contains all the different types of diabetes discussed so far, T1, T2, MODY and LADA, Gestational, whereas secondary includes diabetes that has developed due to drugs, toxins etc, so is very uncommon.

I was interested as to how I, being relatively old at 30 when I was diagnosed, was given a DX of Type 1, and not Type 2. Turns out that it is a clinical reference to the treatment, Insulin dependent and Non-Insulin dependent, although Type 2 can also require insulin, so it's not always that straight forward.

The main creiteria for initial diagnosis seems to be the presenting symptoms - Hyperglycaemia on its own tends towards Type 2, whereas symptoms leading to DKA (which I had in abundance, being off the end of the scale of the testing gear) is an indication of Type 1, apparantly Type 2s don't go on to develop DKA.

Diagnosis can be confirmed by other blood tests, to check on the presence of amino acids and other markers indicating the destruction of the beta-cells in the pancreas.

I will have a look for some of the good web links (not wikipaedia, my univeristy supervisor would have a fit) and post them for you

Richard
x
 
I was initially told I was Type 2 but didn't fit the profile apart from my weight. No family history - not a gaurantee and certain immune deficiency problems (hypoglycaemia, hypotension and an adrenal insufficiency) that make Type 2 unlikely and were the main reason I was restested. Beta cell function tests showed I have 1.5, LADA or 'slow onset Type 1'. It doesn't make a huge difference to my treatment and I don't yet require insulin, but will do in the not too distant future.

I read somewhere recently that the brain produces insulin too and there's a form of diabetes that is caused by people's brains not making enough of it. I don't know what number they've given that one as I haven't found many references to it online.

If someone has pancreatic cancer would they also become diabetic?
 
AlisonM said:
...If someone has pancreatic cancer would they also become diabetic?
Click to expand...

Yes, if their pancreas is removed - we have a couple of members that that has happened to. I think that would be the 'secondary' type Richard mentioned.
 
Type 3, thats a first for me Northy...............
 
so i would be right in saying there is 4?

Type 1, 1.5, 2 and gestational? Do i include borderline/ pre-diabetes, i got this from diabetes uk, making it 5?

Thanks 🙂
 
I read that to be type 2, you have to have insulin resistance, but may be still producing insulin normally, whereas for type 1, it's the beta cells that get attacked by the immune system and so none is produced.

To be type 1.5, you don't show resistance but still produce some insulin, although there are antibodies waiting to pounce on the poor beta cells.

I only knew 1 and 2 prior to joining this forum though.

Rob
 
Pre diabetes, is usually referred to officially as impaired glucose tolerence or impaired fasting glucose. Which means that you have higher blood glucose than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. These people are very high risk for going on to develop type 2 diabetes.

MODY, is a specific genetic type of diabetes, some of us need insulin like myself, and some don't (my brother is on oral meds at the moment).

Good luck with the presentation
 
Be wary of drowning them in information though, Emzi, or none of it may sink in. That's the big difficulty with getting the message across.
 
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