Can you become type 1 from type 2?

No you can’t go from type 2 to type 1. Type 1 and 2 are two different diseases, only thing they have in common are high blood sugar.

Type 1 is autoimmun, meaning antibodies are attacking you beta cells, so you have no insulin producing cells left.

Type 1.5 or LADA stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. This is a slow on set of type 1.

Type 2 have beta cells, but the body struggles to use the insulin. Medications for type 2 diabetes triggers a larger release of insulin, over years this high demand of insulin can lead to beta-cell burn out. Resulting in need of insulin in addition to type 2 medications for treating blood sugar.

Unfortunately, as this article explains, it is common to be misdiagnosed.
The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 are very similar and difficult to determine whether you are one or the other so many doctors make an educated guess based on things like age and weight.

purplesunsets said:

My doctor says I'm now type 1 when I was initially diagnosed at age 18 as type 2. I've been on insulin 2 years. From what I read it's not possible but maybe 1.5. Any thoughts? Or is the doctor wrong? Should I get another opinion?

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As Emile_the_rat said type 2 cannot turn into type 1, however you may have been misdiagnosed as type 2 (18 is young for type 2)

helensaramay said:

The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 are very similar and difficult to determine whether you are one or the other so many doctors make an educated guess based on things like age and weight.

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If only they could do a test that could say if you are over or under producing insulin....

Oh wait... what about a fasting insulin test! Sometimes you have to wonder...never knowingly used by the NHS... crazy.

bulkbiker said:

If only they could do a test that could say if you are over or under producing insulin....

Oh wait... what about a fasting insulin test! Sometimes you have to wonder...never knowingly used by the NHS... crazy.

Click to expand...

Fasting insulin can vary, and isn’t fireproof to tell if you under- or over- produce insulin. Because it only show insulin production in a short and spesific given time.

To test for type 1 or 2 and get a more correct picture of how much insulin you produce you can take a c-peptid test.

If the c-peptid are high, you overproduce insulin to compensate. Known as type 2.

If c-peptid are low your body are struggeling to produce enough insulin, due to few or none beta cells. Known as type 1.

A c-peptid test can easily tell if you’re type 1 or type 2.

You can also test for antibodies like IA2, ICA or GAD, antibodies are present in type 1 in most cases.

Emile_the_rat said:

Fasting insulin can vary, and isn’t fireproof to tell if you under- or over- produce insulin. Because it only show insulin production in a short and spesific given time.

To test for type 1 or 2 and get a more correct picture of how much insulin you produce you can take a c-peptid test.

If the c-peptid are high, you overproduce insulin to compensate. Known as type 2.

If c-peptid are low your body are struggeling to produce enough insulin, due to few or none beta cells. Known as type 1.

A c-peptid test can easily tell if you’re type 1 or type 2.

You can also test for antibodies like IA2, ICA or GAD, antibodies are present in type 1 in most cases.

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To be honest I'm not sure I see the difference..

https://labtestsonline.org/tests/c-peptide

seems to for very similar things in a similar way?

bulkbiker said:

To be honest I'm not sure I see the difference..

https://labtestsonline.org/tests/c-peptide

seems to for very similar things in a similar way?

Click to expand...

Pro-insulin (same as fast acting insulin) are consisting of the two things, the hormone insulin and the protein chain c-peptid.

C-peptid and fasting insulin are therefore two different tests.

The body produces one c-peptid for each insulin molecule. A c-peptid test can therefore show the capasity of insulin producing cells, also beta cells.

A fasting insulin test however shows how much insulin that are released into the bloodstream at the moment of testing. An insulin test can give a picture of how much insulin the body releases, but it won’t show how many beta cells you have left, or how much your beta cells «work».

I understand that a fasting bloodsugar test and c-peptid test have some similarities because they both can give a pointer of how well the pro-insulin secretion are. But there is some difference in how they work, as insulin and c-peptid are two different things

https://labtestsonline.org/tests/insulin

I’m nowhere near qualified to answer the question but I have a little experience. I’m a slim diabetic. Dx in June 2018 Hba1c 126 My Doc thought I was T1 and I finally have the meeting he arranged with the Endocrinologist this Wednesday. At my 1st review with my D nurse in late July my Hba1c was down to 67 by going LCHF, she reckoned I was T2. Frustrated I blew £500 on tests and seeing a private doctor the diagnosis was T2
With hindsight I’d have a GAD test and a C peptide test. I cant remember who but one of the guys on here bought the tests cheaply on line and simply got his surgery nurse to fill the phials when he was having a blood test at his GPs.
Obviously if you can get your local surgery to do those tests great, the results are pretty black and white if you’re a clear T1 or T2.
Good luck!

Geoffno6 said:

With hindsight I’d have a GAD test and a C peptide test. I cant remember who but one of the guys on here bought the tests cheaply on line and simply got his surgery nurse to fill the phials when he was having a blood test at his GPs.

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That was me and I had a fasting insulin test done.

Emile_the_rat said:

Pro-insulin (same as fast acting insulin) are consisting of the two things, the hormone insulin and the protein chain c-peptid.

C-peptid and fasting insulin are therefore two different tests.

The body produces one c-peptid for each insulin molecule. A c-peptid test can therefore show the capasity of insulin producing cells, also beta cells.

A fasting insulin test however shows how much insulin that are released into the bloodstream at the moment of testing. An insulin test can give a picture of how much insulin the body releases, but it won’t show how many beta cells you have left, or how much your beta cells «work».

I understand that a fasting bloodsugar test and c-peptid test have some similarities because they both can give a pointer of how well the pro-insulin secretion are. But there is some difference in how they work, as insulin and c-peptid are two different things

https://labtestsonline.org/tests/insulin

Click to expand...

OK thanks for that I see what you mean..very informative.

Of note medichecks will do one of those too £99
https://www.medichecks.com/diabetes-tests/c-peptide

I think I should ask them for a job...

Does anyone know how long it takes:
1) type 1 to develop from immune recognition of the beta cells to their destruction eg a cold normally passes in 2 weeks, but the development is longer?
2) type 2 to develop: is it present from birth but only manifests itself under certain conditions.

Thanks.

Emile_the_rat said:

Pro-insulin (same as fast acting insulin) are consisting of the two things, the hormone insulin and the protein chain c-peptid.

C-peptid and fasting insulin are therefore two different tests.

The body produces one c-peptid for each insulin molecule. A c-peptid test can therefore show the capasity of insulin producing cells, also beta cells.

A fasting insulin test however shows how much insulin that are released into the bloodstream at the moment of testing. An insulin test can give a picture of how much insulin the body releases, but it won’t show how many beta cells you have left, or how much your beta cells «work».

I understand that a fasting bloodsugar test and c-peptid test have some similarities because they both can give a pointer of how well the pro-insulin secretion are. But there is some difference in how they work, as insulin and c-peptid are two different things

https://labtestsonline.org/tests/insulin

Click to expand...

caius2x8 said:

Does anyone know how long it takes:
1) type 1 to develop from immune recognition of the beta cells to their destruction eg a cold normally passes in 2 weeks, but the development is longer?
2) type 2 to develop: is it present from birth but only manifests itself under certain conditions.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Hard to say, but I can try.

1) The incubation time from when your antigens
starts to destroy beta cells the first time until you get full blown type 1 diabetes vary, so there is no correct answere to that question.

The immune system is weaker the younger you are, so type 1 in kids develope much faster than what type 1(lada) does in adults.

Also, the destruction of beta cells can go in phases, meaning the antigens aren’t positive or active all the time (reason that some type 1 diabetics doesn’t test positive for antigens when first diagnosed).

A friend of mine got diabetes as a little kid, and it took 4-6 months from his first symptoms until he got diagnosed. But it is hard to tell, because none diabetic can pin point to the exact moment when beta cell destruction first started.

But a diabetic GP told me that your body will function like normal even as you slowely lose all of your beta cells. It isn’t before you lose/have lost 80% or more of your beta cells that you start to get really ill, and need emergency help. Some type 1 diabetics doesn’t get really ill before they got till that point, when others can get some of the symptoms way before they have lost that many of their beta cells.

Only thing sure is, when an undiagnosed type 1 have lost most of his/her beta cells it will go downward pretty fast, as little as a week can be difference between life and death.

2) Type 2 is usually linked with metabolic syndrome. The criterias for metabolic syndrom are elevated levels of triglycides, high blood pressure, lower levels of HDL cholesterole and obesity.

It is believed that you have to be genetically available to get the disease (usually runs greater risk of type 2 if you have it in your family or previous generation), but type 2 is a disease of affluence. Meaning there has to be something in your environment or lifestyle that triggers developement of the disease. Common here can be little to no training, a bad or poor diet, overweight etc.

With that said, there is a few other conditions that can give permanent blood sugar problems or develope to diabetes. Different types of mody, drug or steroid induced diabetes, malfunction in the pancreas do to other conditions, or RH. Diabetes are a complex disease and can manifest itself very diffrently form person to person.

LOVE that avatar !!!