What is type 1.5?

Beth_Robinson said:

Sorry to be so ignorant, I have type 1, and I'm not really sure what type 1.5 is, I just want to better understand it!

Thanks
Beth x

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Beth, Others will correct me if I'm wrong, butvtype 1.5 is the "catch-all" grouping for those who aren't a type 2 but aren't a full blown type 1 i.e. sufferf a slower onset destruction of their beta cells.

Hi Beth,

Yes that's right, it's basically an overlap of the two diabetes because you can have resistance like a type 2 but it is also autoimmune like a type 1. You will need to go onto insulin quicker than a type 2 but slower than a type 1. It is usually diagnosed by the presence of pancreatic antibodies and differs from type 1 because u are still producing some of your own insulin (for the time being). Hope this helps.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 23 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.

Beth, have a read of http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_lada.html


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As Fergus says, the word gets used as a sort of catch all .
It's not really an 'official term . It's most often used for :
LADA, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. This is an autoimmune condition in which the beta cells are destroyed. It is at the moment classified as a subset of T1 diabetes but the B cells die off a bit more slowly than in classic T1. If it is diagnosed early enough there may be a period of a few years when the person isn't insulin dependent (80% need insulin by 5 years) Because it occurs in adulthood and doesn't have a fast onset It is often misdiagnosed as T2 *
.http://www.diapedia.org/type-1-diabetes ... -the-adult



MODY. Maturity onset diabetes in the young. A misnamed type ; it is not T2 in the young, it was named when they didn't really know what it was. It can be diagnosed at any age . Like LADA it is often misdiagnosed as T2 when it is discovered in later life but it is also misdiagnosed as T1 when it appears in children and young people.

It is a disorder caused by the mutation of a gene so is inherited and 'runs' in families. ) The mutation results in a defect in the beta cells causing a reduction in insulin production or release.They have found several different mutations so we get MODY 1, MODY2 etc, I think they're up to 11 now. Some forms of MODY can be 'treated' with diet and exercise, some with oral medications and some with low doses of insulin.
They used to say that MODY was rare but now seem to be discovering more and more cases . The specialist unit in Exeter says it accounts for 1-2% of people with diabetes but some researchers think that it could be higher. In the UK one group of researchers suggested that 80% of MODY cases were misdiagnosed as either T1 or T 2.
http://www.diapedia.org/other-types-of- ... 51216/mody

*
The insulin resistance that Elaine mentions is debated, (it may sometimes accompany but may not be characteristic, there are conflicting studies) A lot depends on definition . There is debate on the degree of autoimmune attack in people with low levels of antibodies. (there are non diabetics with low levels of GAD antibodies) There is a paper this month entitled LADA: Time for a New Definition where this issue is discussed.