do you need to have gad antibodies to be type 1 ??

[123Jo123]

Hi Guys

I was diagnoised as type 2 about 16 weeks ago and told to control it with diet. Ended up loosing one stone and with sugars of 17 and 4 plus keytones and in hospital. The Endo there thought I was going to be type one or lada - they kept me in hospital for a few days and gave me metformin and i reacted well to it. My GAD results have come back negative and I have been told my insulin is on the low side of normal. I am being refered to Addenbrookes but still waiting to go. HOWEVER I am still loosing weight - not a lot but it is a daily battle and believe me I cant afford to loose any more. I have been eating very high fat foods (like a donner kebab) and im still gradually loosing weight. I cant eat any carbs at all for breakfast without big spike but can start to eat carbs after 10 ish and then i seem to be able to eat more as the day goes on. Levels between 6 - 8. I am 44 and have been an aerobic instructor for about 8 years upto last year. Always been slim and fit. I am on 1000 met with breccie and 500 with dinner. I am absolutely starving - even though Im eating lots. Within an hour of eating I am getting bad hunger pains.

I have quite a few diabetic type one friends and they keep telling me that I am type 1 yet my diabetic nurse said that if i have not gad antibodies i can be.

Please help i feel like I am shrinking away !!!!!!!!!! :thumbup:

 

[Pneu]

The short answer is no.. the majority of type I's at diagnoses (around 70 - 75%) will show GAD anti-bodies however lack of these anti-bodies does not mean you aren't type I. Typically a c-peptide test will also be carried out to determine the amount of insulin being produced.. if you are producing little or no - insulin then this can also be a sign of type I (although long term poorly controlled type II's may also produce no insulin due to pancreatic damage).

Either way if you aren't producing insulin you will need to inject it.

 

[Claricus]

You don't need them to be type 1, so no.
I am type 1 but don't have them. Another blood test they typically do is IA2, if this is high then you are type 1. Most places start with GAD because most type 1 have them.

 

[AMBrennan]

Sorry, but tell your nurse to re-read the NICE guidelines on T1 diabetes CG15 (link):

1.6.1.2 Where diabetes is diagnosed, but type 2 diabetes
suspected, the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes should be
considered if:
• ketonuria is detected, or
• weight loss is marked, or

You have both, so it's probably not T2.