Diabetes Type 2 Support Group
Type 2 Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or does not make efficient use of it. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert food into glucose, a sugar that the body uses for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose can accumulate in the blood, and can cause serious health problems such as heart disease and strokes and organ damage...
Diabetes is classified into two major types: Type 1(insulin-dependent) diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes.
However, it is apparent that there are some forms of the condition which do not fit comfortably into these categories. Indeed, there is one form of diabetes which
appears to straddle the two major types. While it appears to affect adults with Type 2 diabetes, it shows many of the genetic, immune, and metabolic features of Type 1
diabetes, and carries a high risk of progression to insulin dependency. This form of the condition is known as 'latent
autoimmune diabetes in adults' (LADA). It is found in about 10% of initially non-insulin-requiring people with diabetes, and is therefore probably more prevalent than
Type 1 diabetes.
Anybody here fits in this category?
However, it is apparent that there are some forms of the condition which do not fit comfortably into these categories. Indeed, there is one form of diabetes which
appears to straddle the two major types. While it appears to affect adults with Type 2 diabetes, it shows many of the genetic, immune, and metabolic features of Type 1
diabetes, and carries a high risk of progression to insulin dependency. This form of the condition is known as 'latent
autoimmune diabetes in adults' (LADA). It is found in about 10% of initially non-insulin-requiring people with diabetes, and is therefore probably more prevalent than
Type 1 diabetes.
Anybody here fits in this category?
ICA (islet cell antibodies)
IAA (insulin autoantibodies)
IA2 (islet antigen 2)
GAD (GAD65-AAGAD)
IgA (deficiency)
HLA
C-peptides
You can read a very intersting article about it at http://www2.diabetesvoice.org/issues/2006-03/Double_diabetes_in_young_people_and_how_to_treat_it.pdf
I was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago. It was a total shock since I have no family history of any kind of diabetes, I'd been vegetarian for five years, I was in pretty good physical shape, and I was only 46. At first I was diagnosed with Type 2 but my diabetes educator and my own research suggested that I really had LADA. I had the GAD and C-peptide tests done to confirm the diagnosis.
I'm still struggling to fully accept my diagnosis. Most insulin-dependent diabetics seem to have been diagnosed as children or young adults and their experiences are a lot different from mine.
Anyone out there like me?