Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by carb101 on August 23, 2010 at 1:33pm

They already renamed it from juvenile diabetes, and I don't think that helped anyone get clear on the concept who wasn't already in-the-know.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on August 23, 2010 at 2:54pm

I don't think public ignorance should be a reason to rename a disease. It only serves to divide a community that deals with many of the same issues on a daily and long-term basis.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Edwards on August 23, 2010 at 4:13pm

Well said, Emmy.

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Permalink Reply by Frances on August 23, 2010 at 4:20pm

Mmm, I remember that I was told that I had "fatty liver" back in about 1997, when my BMI was within the normal range. I wonder what that was about. At the time, the doctor said not to worry about it.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Bevard on August 23, 2010 at 4:36pm

I don't agree--look at Muscular Dystrophy....they types are too many to list (my guess is eventually they will figure out diabetes has more 'flavors' than they currently think too)

Diabetes is a set of diseases that, even when the same type (as currently defined) do not necessarily act/effect a person in the same manner.

My PCP/FP (good partner with my endo and part of my health care team --that are in unrelated practices) puts it so--you either have the gens for diabetes or not. Thats why there can be skinny type 2's and overweight/obese type 1's...or whatever flavors they may be reneamed in the future.

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Permalink Reply by Melitta on August 23, 2010 at 9:17pm

For a number of reasons, I believe that Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes should be given different names, and I believe it is very important to make the distinction. (I don’t actually believe this will happen, just that it should). Autoimmune diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are two different diseases with different genetics, triggers, treatments, and cures. The “blurring” of the distinction between the two diseases has severe negative impacts for the many of us who have adult-onset Type 1 diabetes (sometimes called LADA or Type 1.5). Because there remains the myth that Type 1 is a childhood disease, I and so many others received improper treatment because we were misdiagnosed as having Type 2 diabetes. "Unity" and not making the distinction between the two diseases has absolutely harmed me and so many of us here on TuD. Undertreatment of Type 1 diabetes at any age of onset hastens the onset of complications and causes needless suffering and potentially death (people have actually died due to being misdiagnosed as having Type 2 when they in fact had Type 1). The appropriate treatment for Type 1 diabetes is exogenous insulin, with intensive treatment begun as early as safely possible after Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed. People who have autoimmune diabetes should not be treated as if they have Type 2 diabetes, and antibody testing (GAD65, ICA, IA2) is the gold standard for diagnosing Type 1 autoimmune diabetes.

Type 1 and Type 2 are both terrible diseases, and I actually don’t believe one is worse than the other.

Francesca's age is irrelevant to the discussion.

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Permalink Reply by MikeyType1 on August 23, 2010 at 10:08pm

Yes two different names!!! Or 3....

-T1 should be called "Zero Insulin Production" (aka ZIP disease)
-T2 should be called "Diabetes" or Diabeetus
-T1.5 should be called "1.5 diabetes"

I know it will never change names and even if it did it would probably confuse people/media/general public even more.

I know that some of you are gonna be mad I said that for what ever reason. But If you have been mislead and misjudged like I have you might agree.

No worries. It's just a name.

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Permalink Reply by The Diabetic Welfare Queen on August 23, 2010 at 10:28pm

You know... changing the name from Juvenile Diabetes to Type 1 Diabetes didn't improve any of those things, and I don't really think changing it to "Autoimmune Diabetes" would help accomplish any of those things needed, either. Changing the name has not improved awareness... But a more united voice, now thanks to all of us being online, will help improve awareness and get proper testing for everyone as soon as they present any diabetic symptoms of any kind, without making any assumptions. I think this is something that will only change when we decide we've had enough, as patients... I've thought about writing a petition to the AMA, and AACE, demanding the standards for identifying D in patients be changed, and for diagnostic testing for everyone, in every situation... But alas, I haven't done it yet. Names don't change things. Our actions about what is behind does names do. It will be the same situation if we're still sitting on our hands and fingers, regardless of the name.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on August 24, 2010 at 6:04am

I agree with Lizmari: changing the name won't prevent the misdiagnosis problem. My heart sinks whenever someone is misdiagnosed, but these misdiagnoses result from undereducated doctors and not the undereducated public. A doctor should know the difference between T1 and T2, regardless of what they are named, and how to use screening tools to identify people at risk for being misdiagnosed. You can call T1 anything you want, but an ignorant doctor will always be an ignorant doctor...until the medical education improves.

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Permalink Reply by Sophie on August 24, 2010 at 2:47am

I'm actually a member of that facebook page
So yes, I agree that there should be a different name for type 1.

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Permalink Reply by Crystal on August 24, 2010 at 2:59am

I made a comment earlier on a similar post about this.... I'm a T1 and I know mostly T2's.After many discussions with T2's we are not as different as people seem to think.They still check their sugars, worry about highs and lows,what to eat,when to exercise, and the same complications as T1's. Like I said on the other post ...I kinda think of us like cancer patients in the sense that they all have different types of cancer,but you don't hear them trying to argue over their specific type they just support each other because even though they have different types of cancer they are all going through similar things. I think people should stop talking about changing the names. Like several others have mentioned it didn't change when they went from calling it Juvenile diabetes to T1. The general public can be ignorant and unless something is thrown on their face it won't matter what you call it ,they still won't know the difference.

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Permalink Reply by Jacq Allan on August 24, 2010 at 4:09am

I have mixed feelings about chaging the names but I think that in all of this we have to take into consideration what happens to children and young adults who are diagnosed with Type 1. Regardless of how we feel about it the media has tirelessly promoted the idea that diabetes is caused by bad diet and a sedentary lifestyle. I run a charity looking after adolescents who have t1 and Eating Disorders and I can tell you that while this message is not necessarily a causation it is definitely a hinderance when I am trying to get them into recovery I also know many D1' mums who have been told infront of their children 'oh but he/ she doesn't look fat' or ' oh did you eat to many sweets' . It is unfortunate that the stereotype exists at all but as type 2 is mostly seen in adults I can't help thinking that they are better equipped to deal with the critisism and it should be to a certain extent up to them to challenge the stereotype. At the end of the day there Millions more T2's out there. The teenagers I work with are not equipped with that maturity. They are bullied, beaten up constantly called names at a time in their life that is unbelievably developmentally sensetive. I would like to see the name changed away from Diabetes for these reasons.

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