So here’s just a brief explanation of the differences of the two main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is caused by a faulty immune response to your insulin-producing cells where your immune cells attack and destroy them therefore your body loses the ability to lower your blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes progresses more quickly and most insulin producing cells are destroyed before diagnosis.
By contrast type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance where your pancreas is producing insulin but not enough relative to how resistant you are to insulin. In healthy people the pancreas produces more insulin when it feels the body is becoming more resistant whereas in type 2 diabetes this doesn’t occur at all or at a high enough rate.
When it comes to the tests:
- C peptide test shows how much insulin your body produces as C peptide molecule is released in the same quantity as insulin. So however much C peptide you have then that’s how much insulin you had in your body. Below average C peptide may indicate type 1 diabetes, an average or above average C peptide may indicate type 2 diabetes.
- GAD antibodies test helps identify if your body is attacking your insulin producing cells. The immune cells produce proteins called antibodies which help destroy cells and if a particular antibody (for example GAD antibodies) are present then it points to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
However remember nothing is definite. Your doctor will use a combination of many different tests to confirm your diagnosis.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by a faulty immune response to your insulin-producing cells where your immune cells attack and destroy them therefore your body loses the ability to lower your blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes progresses more quickly and most insulin producing cells are destroyed before diagnosis.
By contrast type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance where your pancreas is producing insulin but not enough relative to how resistant you are to insulin. In healthy people the pancreas produces more insulin when it feels the body is becoming more resistant whereas in type 2 diabetes this doesn’t occur at all or at a high enough rate.
When it comes to the tests:
- C peptide test shows how much insulin your body produces as C peptide molecule is released in the same quantity as insulin. So however much C peptide you have then that’s how much insulin you had in your body. Below average C peptide may indicate type 1 diabetes, an average or above average C peptide may indicate type 2 diabetes.
- GAD antibodies test helps identify if your body is attacking your insulin producing cells. The immune cells produce proteins called antibodies which help destroy cells and if a particular antibody (for example GAD antibodies) are present then it points to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
However remember nothing is definite. Your doctor will use a combination of many different tests to confirm your diagnosis.