Mon, Sep-29-03, 04:35
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Getting Healthy!
Posts: 1,755
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Plan: General LC
Stats: 213/169/166
BF:
Progress: 94%
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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Since the other answers have dealt with what tests determine T1.5, I'll try to briefly state in words what it is.
T1 is an autoimmune disease in which the beta cells of pancreas have been destroyed and the body can no longer make insulin. (Thus, T1s are insulin dependent.) The tests mentioned above can show that the bodies of T1 diabetes contain antibodies that attack the beta cells.
T1.5 is like T1 except that not all of the beta cells have been killed. If the body of a T1.5 still produces sufficient insulin to counter the foods that they eat, a T1.5 may be able to maintain good blood sugar control without taking insulin. If the body doesn't have enough beta cells remaining to produce adequate insulin, then a T1.5 may be insulin dependent.
T1.5s are sometimes mistaken for T2. In T2, a person initially produces adequate insulin, but the body does not use it properly, making them insulin resistant. Because a T1.5 is not normally insulin resistant, many of the drugs used to treat T2 will not work well with T1.5.
http://www.diabetesnet.com has a nice series of articles that explain the differences between the various types of diabetes.
Last edited by CarolynC : Mon, Sep-29-03 at 05:10.
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