[erik]

With Type 2 diabetes, the illness and symptoms tend to develop gradually (over weeks or months). This is because in Type 2 diabetes you still make insulin (unlike Type 1 diabetes). However, you develop diabetes because:

* you do not make enough insulin for your body's needs, OR
* the cells in your body do not use insulin properly. This is called 'insulin resistance'. The cells in your body become resistant to normal levels of insulin. So, you need more insulin than you normally make to keep the blood glucose level down, OR
* a combination of the above two reasons.

Type 2 diabetes used to be known as maturity onset, or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes. It develops mainly in people older than 40 (but sometimes occurs in younger people). In the UK about 3 in 100 people aged over 40, and about 10 in 100 people aged over 65, have Type 2 diabetes. It is more common in people who are overweight or obese. It also tends to run in families. It is also more common in South Asian and African-Caribbean people (often developing before the age of 40 in this group).

 

[foxl]

You seem to encompass Type 1.5 in that description.

Given the complexity of diabetes, I think we need to redefine or at least rename the types (including 1.5 which also includes multiple causes). Unfortunately, nobody is asking ME! :-D

 

[yus2906]

What about diabetes with the ulcer? this is type 1 or type 2?

 

[Richard157]

All diabetics with poor control and a lot if high blood sugar over a long period of time can have ulcers and many other kinds of complications.

 

[Jonkarra]

My understanding of type 2 is that it is ultimately caused by insulin resistance. You gradually need more and more insulin until your pancreas can no longer cope at which point your blood sugars shoot up and start to damage the pancreas further. The combined effect of the pancreas constantly running at max and the high blood sugars cause more and more damage to the pancreas and it produces less and less insulin. The other thing is that some people who are on steroids for other medical conditions have raised blood sugar which again slowly destroys the pancreas.

You then have "type 1.5" which consists of MODY which is a genetic illness, and LADA which is commonly called slow onset type 1. In LADA you have the same GAD antibodies attacking the pancreas but they do so much more slowly than in normal type 1 but most of the time it will progress all the way to full blown type 1 after a few years.

 

[foxl]

There are other types of Diabetes, but MODY is considered MODY, and most define only LADA as T1.5. There is also Flatbush, non-insulun-dependent, but keotacidosis-prone.

BUT -- I have yet to see a comprehensive definition of Insulin Resistance. There are several articles in a November 09 supplement to Diabetes Care, each debating whether IR arises in the liver, muscles, fat, or brain. There is no single test directly measuring IR either. A rather elusive entity ...

 

[GeorgeFellman]

What is type 1.5? All I know was Type 1 and type 2. I never heard of 1.5. I am sorry. Just diagnosed 3 days ago and hopefully I can reverse this disease. But, I don't think I can coz to reverse type 1. All I need is a new pancreas, is it?

 

[foxl]

What is type 1.5? All I know was Type 1 and type 2. I never heard of 1.5. I am sorry. Just diagnosed 3 days ago and hopefully I can reverse this disease. But, I don't think I can coz to reverse type 1. All I need is a new pancreas, is it?

1.5 is LADA, or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood. GAD is the predominant antibody, and oneset is gradual, with initial non-insulin dependence. It is controversial as to whether all LADAs are alike (HAH!) or if some have more insulin resistance and others less. Some people categorize everything that has an initial "honeymoon" as LADA, or everything that "falls thru the cracks" of the conventional Type 1 and 2 diagnoses.