August 16, 2004
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Brazil:
I am 19 years old and I have had diabetes for 15 months. I take 1.5 g of metformin daily. I don’t use insulin and I have good control. My A1c was 6.8. My antibody tests were GAD negative and IA-2 positive. At diagnosis, my blood sugar was 285 mg/dl [15.8 mmol/L]. Now, my fasting average is 108 mg/dl [6 mmol/L].
My grandmother has type 2 diabetes. What kind do I have?
Answer:
With diabetes for only fifteen months, it is still possible that you have a form of type 1 diabetes but can still make some insulin, which is why you are responding to the oral agent now. I would say that the positive antibody level and your young age are suggestive of type 1 diabetes. In the end, time will tell us which type you have. As long as your sugars are okay, that is the most important thing. Without other test results, I cannot tell you for sure which type of diabetes you have.
JTL
