Types of diabetes

Prediabetes:

Prediabetes can also be known as non-diabetic hypoglycaemia. Prediabetes is described as blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. People that are classed as being pre-diabetic are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but this risk can be reduced with lifestyle changes. A HbA1c reading between 42-48mmol/l is classed as pre-diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is a condition which causes the blood glucose levels in the blood to become too high. It is a lifelong condition that needs to be managed by diet, medication and regular check-ups with a diabetes team. A HbA1c reading of above 48mmol/l is classed as type 2 diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes:

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy and happens when your body cannot produce enough insulin to meet your extra needs during pregnancy. Typically, it will go away again after birth, but it can put you at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. It is diagnosed by a blood test between 24 and 28 weeks into the pregnancy, but this can be earlier if you have had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults – LADA:

LADA has aspects of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes; some people call it type 1.5 diabetes. The symptoms come on much slower than they do with type 1 diabetes, usually over months rather than weeks, and the symptoms can be more obvious than type 2 diabetes. It is difficult to diagnose but can be identified through a GADA antibody test.

Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young – MODY:

MODY is caused by a mutation, or a change, in a single gene. If a parent has this gene mutation, then any child that they have has a 50% chance of inheriting it from them. If a child does inherit the mutation, they will generally go on to develop MODY before they are 25 years old, whatever their weight, lifestyle, ethnic group etc.

Type 3C Diabetes:

Type 3C diabetes can occur when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin for the body. If you have type 3c diabetes, your pancreas will also stop producing the enzyme that you need to digest food.

Steroid Induced Diabetes:

This is when the level of glucose in the blood is too high whilst taking steroid medication, usually used as a treatment for conditions such as cancer or arthritis. Steroids cause the liver to release more glucose or stop glucose from being absorbed from the blood by the muscle and fat cells or reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Steroid induced diabetes can be a temporary condition, but for some it can continue, even after stopping steroid treatment especially for those at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

References:

Diabetes UK (No date) Steroid-Induced Diabetes. Available at:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/other-types-of-diabetes/steroid-induced-diabetes
(Accessed on 4 April 2023)

NHS (2023) Diabetes. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/ (Accessed on 20 March 2023).

NHS (2020) What is type 2 diabetes? Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-2-diabetes/ (Accessed on 20 March 2023).