What Type Do You Have?
When you were diagnosed, you were probably told you had either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Clear-cut and tidy. Since diabetes occurs in two types, you have to fit into one of them. Many people do fit clearly into one of these categories, but some do not. Those who clearly fit a type at diagnosis may find the clear lines begin to smudge over time. Are there really only two types? Are you really the type you were told you were? Could you even have more than one type of diabetes, and is your original diagnosis still correct after all these years? Let us help you figure out which type of diabetes you have.
Type 1 Diabetes
Learn all about Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that begins in childhood, in adolescence or as an adult.
Type 1.5 Diabetes
“aka Slow Onset Type 1 and LADA” Discover why type 1.5 is one of several names now applied to those who are diagnosed as an adult with a form of diabetes similar to Type 1, but who do not immediately require insulin for treatment.
Type 2 Diabetes
Learn all about Type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disorder in which the body has trouble using insulin to control the blood sugar combined with a gradual loss of insulin-producing cells.
Pre-Diabetes
Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) is diagnosed when the blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
Monogenic Diabetes
There are some rare forms of diabetes, Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) and Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus (NDM) that are monogenic where only one gene is responsible for the disease. Of the 30,000 genes in the human body, about 20 genes have been linked to monogenic diabetes so far.
Syndrome X
Syndrome X or “metabolic syndrome” is a new term to describe a collection of conditions associated with Insulin Resistance. This metabolic defect causes Type 2 diabetes, most cases of high blood pressure, and much of the cardiovascular disease in westernized countries.
Polycystic Ovary Disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a metabolic disorder that affects the female reproductive system and is closely associated with insulin resistance.
Gestational Diabetes
Links to the best web sources with information on Gestational Diabetes
Hemochromatosis
Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease that causes excessive amounts of iron to accumulate in the body and can cause diabetes.
Cystic Fibrosis
Over 40% of the individuals with CF who are over the age of 30 develop Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD).