Is T2 an autoimmune condition?

Thanks for posting this @urbanracer , I have often wondered if type 2 might turn out to be an autoimmune problem, as I have another condition which is autoimmune and late onset asthma which some think could be autoimmune too. I was diagnosed with all three within two years of each other.

I’ve always had a mind half open to this theory, based on my own reactive hypoglycaemia > T2bg levels being so interlinked with physical inflammation and gluten intolerance, and more recently gut issues/inflammation.
Auto immune issues run big in my family.

but I suspect that while T2 remains just a loose umbrella term for so many different expressions of diabetes, then it will be impossible to come up with a matching umbrella explanation.

Fascinating. When you are diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, you are warned that another autoimmune condition or three, might be waiting in the wings. Exactly a year after I was dx T2, I was dx with MG. Looking back I think I had MG for years. Will watch this research with interest, thanks for posting.

We had a thread on inflammation on here recently.
I posted then about the commonality of diabetes and inflammation.
One of the websites has listed amongst it's autoimmune factors is inflammation because of the western diet (high fat, high sugar and highly processed foods) as as a possible cause to autoimmune conditions.
So, having initial doubts, I now think that despite its many causes that lead up to prediabetes or T2 as well as a lot of metabolic syndrome conditions could be also autoimmune.
Why the hell not!

I haven’t seen the specific article referred to above ....But I suspect it’s the usual confusion of correlation and causation misrepresented by lazy journalism and the lack of understanding between visceral adiposity and general obesity. None the less we have to accept that visible obesity is often associated with metabolic issues (as symptom not cause) and type 2 which I suspect is the diabetes type the slap dash journalism is referring to.
Much as I hate this type of sensationalist misreporting, ignoring the common fundamental problems of appalling dietary guidelines and lack of recognition of nutrition in health issues cannot go unmentioned through fear of being labelled fat shaming or else the cycle continues.

Hi. Don't forget 15% to 20% of T2s are slim and probably LADA which is more likely to be an auto-immune condition or could be caused by other things such as viruses. Sadly T2 has traditionally been used as 'dumping ground' for anything in adulthood that the GP doesn't understand or test for or didn't end-up with DKA so there may well be some auto-immune conditions in that group.

I,m not sure ir t2 is classed as a autoimmune, but I do also have sjogrens which is one.

Interesting... last time I was at my doctor about my arthritis I mentioned that I also have psoriasis and he said that both of them plus my T2 are all autoimmune - I just ignored that bit thinking he had got T1 and T2 muddled - like they do - but maybe he hadn't.

Not that it means anything at all, but my family have a decent number of autoimmune conditions between a few family members, but no type 2 diabetes.

Wow, this is interesting. My GP became concerned about my blood sugars back in 2011 back when I was pretty fit and playing football twice a weekend plus training. In my younger days I also played a lot of tennis and whilst my arms and legs have never had any blubber on them even when at my fittest I always carried weight around the gut and chin. No matter what I eat and no matter how much I exercise I can never shift it and it's become more difficult anyway no I'm 51!! Even when I quit the booze a few years ago I was expecting the pounds to drop off but nope!!

So this thread has intrigued me because I have suffered from IBS since I was about 18, although now pretty ok with meds. However when I got checked out again last year I was told my gut was inflamed possibly due to diverticulitis. I had to quit football due to arthritic hips back in around 2011. I have also suffered seriously from ongoing vertigo attacks since I was 21 which last year was finally "diagnosed" as vestibular hypofunction. Just googled vertigo and it says Vertigo is relatively frequent in autoimmune diseases; however, it is often misdiagnosed or attributed to central nervous system alterations rather to specific inner ear involvement. I also picked up tinnitus back in 2011. So diabetes, high blood pressure, tinnitus and arthritis all diagnosed in 2011!

You do wonder!!

Chook said:

Interesting... last time I was at my doctor about my arthritis I mentioned that I also have psoriasis and he said that both of them plus my T2 are all autoimmune - I just ignored that bit thinking he had got T1 and T2 muddled - like they do - but maybe he hadn't.

Click to expand...

I used to have PCOS (back in the day) and I googled whether it, too, was an autoimmune condition and apparently it can be labelled as one.