Type 1 diabetes adult onset

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you may be dealing with a number of strong emotions, from surprise, confusion, and anxiety to anger or depression. These feelings are a normal part of receiving a new diagnosis, so try to be patient with yourself during this time of adjustment. Learning about the disease can help set you up for dealing with it successfully. Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the body makes little or no insulin. Often referred to as juvenile diabetes because it occurs most commonly in teens and adolescents, type 1 diabetes is a form of autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin. The cause of the disorder is poorly understood but is believed to be strongly linked to genetics.

In the past 25 years, however, determining what type of diabetes a person has has become more of a challenge. Most of these children and teens are overweight. In addition, another type of diabetes, called latent autoimmune diabetes in adults , or LADA, that shares some characteristics with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, has been recognized. Muddying the water further is the realization that diabetic ketoacidosis , an acute, life-threatening complication of diabetes that is caused by a lack of insulin, can occur in people with type 2 diabetes — not just in people with type 1, as was previously thought. And while gestational diabetes is still diagnosed only in pregnant women, it is sometimes discovered that what is thought to be gestational diabetes is really type 1 or type 2 diabetes that happens to start during pregnancy. That means that people with type 1 diabetes are still a distinct minority within the population of people who have diabetes.

Slowly evolving immune-mediated diabetes , or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults LADA , is a form of diabetes that exhibits clinical features similar to both type 1 diabetes T1D and type 2 diabetes T2D. The concept of LADA was first introduced in , [11] though The Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus does not recognize the term, instead including it under the standard definition of diabetes mellitus type 1. The symptoms of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults are similar to those of other forms of diabetes: polydipsia excessive thirst and drinking , polyuria excessive urination , and often blurred vision.

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar , levels are too high. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart , eyes , kidneys , nerves , and gums and teeth.