2 Questions About Type II Diabetes...

[SaraKat]

Is it autoimmune and is it hereditary? I always thought Type II is from bad eating habits/non exercise, I thought Type I was AI and hereditary? My Dad has it and told me it is autoimmune and hereditary. I should have asked my Dr, but totally forgot and I find conflicting answers on Google search. Anyone know? Thanks!

What are early warning signs of Type II?

[psawyer]

Type I diabetes is autoimmune. The immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. The body stops producing insulin, with dramatic results. Treatment is a combination of insulin by injection (in all cases) and diet. There is a tendency to run in families, but specific genes have not been identified. Formerly called juvenile diabetes, it can develop at any age.

Type II diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, or there is too much body to be serviced by the available insulin production. It is not autoimmune. It commonly occurs in conjunction with obesity, and in some cases diet alone may be sufficient for treatment. There are oral medications that can be used. In some cases, insulin is needed as part of the treatment. Type II is most commonly diagnosed in older people, but as our society becomes fatter, it is beginning to show up in young people. Again, there is a tendency to run in families, but no specific genes have been identified.

Although the treatments are similar, the two types have distinctly different causes. It has recently been seen that a single individual can have both. That happens when a Type I eats too much and becomes obese leading to insulin resistance. Some refer to this condition as Type III.

Early signs include lack of energy, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. These build up slowly over time, and may go unnoticed.

[missy'smom]

There is also a lesser known form called T1.5 or L.A.D.A which stands for latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. The process of the autoimmune attack on the beta cells of the pancreas is the same as T1, just slower. There is a link with both T1 and T1.5 with dietary autoimmune factors, like gluten.

For more on diabetes in general and T1.5 check out this site. Open Original Shared Link

For info on T1.5 click on Diagnosing Diabetes at the top and then click on LADA.

Just an aside, T2's who are quite slim may be misdx T1.5's. My offical DX is T2 but I am under 100 lbs and everything about me seems to go against the T2 hallmarks and profile, but I fit the T1.5 profile well.

If diabetes has not been DX yet but is suspected or there's any concern, just get tested. Make sure any tests done are not relective of just a one-time blood sugar. An A1c or an OGTT give much more data and the more data the better. And know the numbers. Knowledge is power!

[SaraKat]

Thanks to both of you! That clears some things up.

Missy'smom- I don't really have a huge concern about diabetes as far as me thinking that I have it, but when I looked back on my blood tests from last year I noticed that my glucose was always at 99 or 101, which is right around normal, but 101 is high. I wonder if I should pursue that at all. I just got dx'd with celiac last month and I know my Dad has Type 2- he also has MS.

Interesting about the 1.5, I have never heard of that.

[missy'smom]

Thanks to both of you! That clears some things up.

Missy'smom- I don't really have a huge concern about diabetes as far as me thinking that I have it, but when I looked back on my blood tests from last year I noticed that my glucose was always at 99 or 101, which is right around normal, but 101 is high. I wonder if I should pursue that at all. I just got dx'd with celiac last month and I know my Dad has Type 2- he also has MS.

Interesting about the 1.5, I have never heard of that.

IMHO Fasting BGs are not the best indicator of what's going on. Post meal, or post glucose load(in the case of the OGTtest)give a better picture to go on. A person, like me;), can have a relatively low fasting BG and go quite high. Sometimes pharmacies will give free finger sticks. You can go in one hour after a normal meal and do it and see what comes back. Or ask your Dad to test you-before a meal, at one hour after, then again at 2 hrs after. That'll give you a good picture. I recently did that for someone I know.

My opinion is that it's SO much better to know what's going on and catch things early. It's SO much more manageable the sooner you catch it. Far too many go undx or are allowed to progress too long. If there's any doubt, it certainly doesn't hurt a thing to check it out. Blood sugar issues are quite a spectrum so don't think of it in terms of slapping a new dx/label on, think of it in terms of seeing where your body is at with it's ability to process glucose.

[Gemini]

IMHO Fasting BGs are not the best indicator of what's going on. Post meal, or post glucose load(in the case of the OGTtest)give a better picture to go on. A person, like me;), can have a relatively low fasting BG and go quite high. Sometimes pharmacies will give free finger sticks. You can go in one hour after a normal meal and do it and see what comes back. Or ask your Dad to test you-before a meal, at one hour after, then again at 2 hrs after. That'll give you a good picture. I recently did that for someone I know.

My opinion is that it's SO much better to know what's going on and catch things early. It's SO much more manageable the sooner you catch it. Far too many go undx or are allowed to progress too long. If there's any doubt, it certainly doesn't hurt a thing to check it out. Blood sugar issues are quite a spectrum so don't think of it in terms of slapping a new dx/label on, think of it in terms of seeing where your body is at with it's ability to process glucose.

I think you are a very smart person with some valuable information here. I have heard of LADA and agree with what you say.

My brother is a Type 1 (very bad too) and I swear he has Celiac also. Many symptoms of diabetes are the same as celiac so his doctors tell him he is not a Celiac and that is what he wants to believe. His diabetes is extremely hard to control and his kidneys are in bad shape.

However, it's his wife who I suspect has been misdiagnosed on a bigger scale. She is also a diabetic, diagnosed at an older age, but claims she is a Type 2. She is thin and has never been fat. She is on insulin too and yet the docs tell her she is a Type 2....I just don't get it. And now for the clincher...she also has Hashi's thyroid so I am beginning to think she may have Celiac and be a Type 1. She is a nurse by trade, although retired, and you know how that goes.....can't tell them anything.

I have never heard of a Type 2 diabetic who is on insulin. Her mother was another thin diabetic but I don't know if she was a Type 1 or 2.

I also agree with you about fasting BG's...what a waste of time. I think eating a meal and seeing how you body handles that load is far more telling of what is going on. I always refuse to fast for testing when I do go for routine stuff. I am blessed with great blood sugars myself, which is good because it would be very hard to try and manage both.

[missy'smom]

I think you are a very smart person with some valuable information here. I have heard of LADA and agree with what you say.

My brother is a Type 1 (very bad too) and I swear he has Celiac also. Many symptoms of diabetes are the same as celiac so his doctors tell him he is not a Celiac and that is what he wants to believe. His diabetes is extremely hard to control and his kidneys are in bad shape.

However, it's his wife who I suspect has been misdiagnosed on a bigger scale. She is also a diabetic, diagnosed at an older age, but claims she is a Type 2. She is thin and has never been fat. She is on insulin too and yet the docs tell her she is a Type 2....I just don't get it. And now for the clincher...she also has Hashi's thyroid so I am beginning to think she may have Celiac and be a Type 1. She is a nurse by trade, although retired, and you know how that goes.....can't tell them anything.

I have never heard of a Type 2 diabetic who is on insulin. Her mother was another thin diabetic but I don't know if she was a Type 1 or 2.

I also agree with you about fasting BG's...what a waste of time. I think eating a meal and seeing how you body handles that load is far more telling of what is going on. I always refuse to fast for testing when I do go for routine stuff. I am blessed with great blood sugars myself, which is good because it would be very hard to try and manage both.

Thank you for the compliment. I am sorry to say that I learned the hard way, which is why I am always trying to get the word out. I may have gone undx 10 years or more. I had one doctor actually laugh and walk out of the room and many others who said it wasn't possible because of being thin. I had gestational and 10 years later finally stood up for myself and demanded to be tested-OGTT and find myself looking more like a T1.

There are many T2's that are on insulin, but again, they have alot of insulin resistance and some end up

burining out beta cells due to lack of good control and end up as T1's that way.

I agree with your suspicions about your brother's wife.

As for your brother, if he's open, Dr Richard Bernstein is a doctor with diabetes, actually his sole focus is diabetes and he has T1. He played an important part in the fact that we have personal meters today. He was actually able to reverse his kidney complications. Very inspiring personal story. Open Original Shared Link

Links on the T1 and celiac disease connection:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/22190/1/Routine-Celiac-Disease-Screening-for-Everyone-with-Type-1-Diabetes/Page1.html

Open Original Shared Link

[Gemini]

Thank you for the compliment. I am sorry to say that I learned the hard way, which is why I am always trying to get the word out. I may have gone undx 10 years or more. I had one doctor actually laugh and walk out of the room and many others who said it wasn't possible because of being thin. I had gestational and 10 years later finally stood up for myself and demanded to be tested-OGTT and find myself looking more like a T1.

There are many T2's that are on insulin, but again, they have alot of insulin resistance and some end up

burining out beta cells due to lack of good control and end up as T1's that way.

I agree with your suspicions about your brother's wife.

As for your brother, if he's open, Dr Richard Bernstein is a doctor with diabetes, actually his sole focus is diabetes and he has T1. He played an important part in the fact that we have personal meters today. He was actually able to reverse his kidney complications. Very inspiring personal story. Open Original Shared Link

Links on the T1 and celiac disease connection:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/22190/1/Routine-Celiac-Disease-Screening-for-Everyone-with-Type-1-Diabetes/Page1.html

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks for all of the links.....very interesting. Now if only I can get my brother and his wife to listen. They are nice people but think their doctors are better than everyone's. My brother did not take good care of himself at all in the beginning of his diagnosis and only started to go in that direction when his kidneys and health really started to tank. He has multiple autoimmune issues and has trouble controlling his diabetes yet refuses to believe he may have Celiac. He may end up needing a kidney transplant and he is only 55 years old. I don't know what it will take to make them all understand but I suspect because his wife is AMA trained and only looks at traditional medicine, that's the problem. I am the only person in my family to turn to alternative medicine for my problems and now am the healthiest one in the whole family. They don't eat like I do, though, and can't understand how important that connection is. It's so frustrating at times.

[O.N.]

Type I diabetes is autoimmune. The immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. The body stops producing insulin, with dramatic results. Treatment is a combination of insulin by injection (in all cases) and diet. There is a tendency to run in families, but specific genes have not been identified. Formerly called juvenile diabetes, it can develop at any age.

....

I am originally from North Europe and I have HLA DQ2.5 & DQ8. They are both "celiac" genes. I've already got celiac . Also I know that this combination of genes puts me at a high risk for juvenile diabeties. Doesn't make me happy. Anyway, there IS a gene, associated with diabeties - DQ8:

"...In Europe, DQ8 is associated with juvenile diabetes and coeliac disease. The highest risk factor for type 1 diabetes is the HLA DQ8/DQ2.5 phenotype. In parts of eastern Scandinavia both DQ2.5 and DQ8 are high increases frequencies of late onset Type I and ambiguous Type I/II diabetes..." (from Open Original Shared Link)