I recently had some blood tests, the results for the Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibody (GAD) came back at 211.3 the normal range is 0.0-0.5. I discussed these results with my Endocrinologist, he told me I will get type 1 diabetes, we are not sure when. I have Hashimotos disease, an autoimmune disease where my body attacks my thyroid. The doctor told me when you have an autoimmune disease, your body starts attacking other parts of the body and the GAB test result showed that my body was attacking my pancreas, that will eventually result in type 1 diabetes. I was in shock and I froze, so I didnt get to ask the doctor more about this. My questions are: Can I reduce the GAD levels? At what range of GAD levels is the type 1 diabetes diagnosed? Is that how it works?Saturday, January 7, 2012
Can Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibody Levels Be Reduced In The Body?
I recently had some blood tests, the results for the Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibody (GAD) came back at 211.3 the normal range is 0.0-0.5. I discussed these results with my Endocrinologist, he told me I will get type 1 diabetes, we are not sure when. I have Hashimotos disease, an autoimmune disease where my body attacks my thyroid. The doctor told me when you have an autoimmune disease, your body starts attacking other parts of the body and the GAB test result showed that my body was attacking my pancreas, that will eventually result in type 1 diabetes. I was in shock and I froze, so I didnt get to ask the doctor more about this. My questions are: Can I reduce the GAD levels? At what range of GAD levels is the type 1 diabetes diagnosed? Is that how it works?
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Debbie - I think the only way to manage it is through diet and exercise. You need to look up autoimmune diabetes for more information.
ReplyDeleteJohn W - Your immune system has decided that the cells in your islets of Langerhans are foreign invaders and has designed and made antibodies to fight them. You really can't do much about that now, your immune system is prepared to attack your cells and as it already knows how, will produce more antibodies as it sees fit, you've basically been immunized against your insulin producing cells. The cells in the islets of Langerhans are xenogenic in that the cellular mechanisms are actually identical to that of many other species such as the pig. It's suspected that that the cells were formed by endosymbiosis much as mitochondria is, basically our cells consumed a proto bacteria millions of years ago, as did other species like the pig and found it to be useful in the production of insulin and therefore kept parts of it in the islets of Langerhans hence your immune system is partially correct in assuming they are foreign cells.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really matter what your GAD levels are now, they simply indicate your cells have been attacked and will continue to be attacked. You'll be type 1 diabetic when you can no longer produce the insulin that you need and will know when this happens by high glucose levels. By the time the GAD levels come down, it would just mean you won't have any insulin producing cells left.
You might be able to disable your immune system like they do with organ transplants but that would be worse than diabetes ( remember bubble boy and AID's patients ).
You'll probably require insulin injections within three years. Good news is that you'll have a good choice of insulins. Novo is trying to release Degludic in 2003, that would be a long lasting 48 hour basal insulin that's self regulating which means you won't have to time the basal shots and therefore can go to sleep and wake up whenever you want and maybe even skip a basal shot on occasions instead of keeping a strict time schedule as insulin dependent diabetics do today. As a type 1, you'll have bolus shots for each meal where you will have to take a glucose reading before the meal, calculate an insulin dose based on the number of carbs you intend to eat and the correction you need from your current readings, they have calculators for smart phones now. An alternative to both basal and bolus shots will be the insulin pump where you just program what you need in, the insulin is delivered by a hollow plastic tube that you stick into your skin with a needle and cover with tape, you'll change the site occasionally.
Being diabetic isn't so bad with all the technology we have today. Look at it this way, it's better than the Congestive Heart Failure secondary to Dilated Cardiomyopathy diagnosis I got ten years ago, that's a condition where 70% of patients die within 5 years ( and there's no cure other than a heart transplant but it may be manageable ). Overall, you really have nothing to be shocked and frozen over. My diabetes is probably a result of the heart medications.