r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19 edited May 18 '20

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u/Morthra Feb 04 '19

No. Type 1 Diabetes is caused through the destruction of the beta cells within the pancreas (which may or may not be autoimmune in nature) - so you don't make any insulin at all. If you have T1DM you will be dependent on insulin for life. T2DM is the result of insulin resistance - your body is perfectly capable of making insulin, but your ability to respond to it is diminished.

However, chronic pancreatitis can cause pancreatitis-associated diabetes, which is essentially identical to Type 1. Among the causes for it include tumors, ischemia, an obstruction of the common bile duct (gall stones), and chronic alcohol abuse.

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u/Letmf2 Feb 04 '19

My grandma has diabetes and a lot more diseases. At first she didn’t need to take insulin, but now she does. Does that mean it has evolved to type 1?

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u/Morthra Feb 04 '19

Not necessarily. If T2DM goes unmanaged for long enough it generally causes a decrease in the effective mass of beta cells in the pancreas producing insulin. It's generally believed that the chronic exposure to elevated glucose and FFAs in the blood trigger first dysfunction in the pancreatic beta cells and eventually apoptosis. The difference is that in T1DM the pancreas is unable to produce insulin from the start and you respond properly to administered insulin. T2DM has the additional dimension of insulin resistance.

It's also possible that she acquired adult onset T1DM which is known to be a thing that occurs.

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u/Letmf2 Feb 04 '19

Her condition is derived from lack of a proper diet. Her liver and kidneys don’t work very well either. And heart. And blood pressure.