Question from Hatfield, Pennsylvania, USA:

Recently, I sent in a question about some testing my daughter had undergone. Since then, I have received the dictation from my daughter’s endocrinologist with her antibody results. If it would not be too much trouble, could you interpret these results? I am interested in knowing how my daughters results would range on a risk scale, i.e., very, mildly or minutely abnormal? Do these results compare or relate with results found in a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic? Putting aside negative results as most desirable, is there a “bad” result or a “good” result where antibody testing is concerned? I am not sure what to make of our daughters results. We have a recheck with my daughter’s endocrinologist coming up, however, I am writing again because I would like to have an understanding of these results ahead of time.

In case you would be interested in knowing what my daughter’s dictation stated, here are two excerpts from my daughter’s report, as stated by her endocrinologist. His dictation matches your answer to my first series of questions exactly.”Diagnosis: ‘Hypoglycemia, possibly due to very early type 1 diabetes presenting in an atypical fashion.’ He also quotes: “Potentially, her beta cells are erratic causing her to have unpredictable hypoglycemia before she eventually becomes hyperglycemic. However,this is completely uncertain.'”

One of the many things I do not understand is WHY type 1 development is uncertain in antibody positive patients. Is there some other condition that these antibodies might suggest? What is the possibility that a person who is positive for three of the type 1 antibodies will avoid the disease completely? How often is avoidance seen in the medical field?

My daughter’s Insulin Antibodies were 5.8, Range being (0 to 5); GAD-65 Antibodies = 35, Range being (less than 0.5); and ICA512 Antibodies = 3.2, Range being (less than 1). No unit of measure is stated on these. I don’t know if it’s standard.