Type 4 Diabetes: Signs and Symptoms and Its Little Understanding
Healthful Vitality | 11/06/2021 | Type 4 Diabetes
There are numerous types of diabetes, with very different causes and mechanisms. So, theoretically, these are all different diseases. But they all are collectively called diabetes because all these conditions are characterized by high blood glucose and similar kind of complications.
Just take an example of the two most common types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. But they are entirely different diseases. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder, a disease of young (most diagnosed aged 4 to 14). On the contrary, Type 2 is a disease of mature and obese adults.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes responsible for almost 85% of cases of diabetes. Amazingly enough, it is also one of the poorly understood diabetes. There are many reasons why the disease occurs, including insulin resistance. However, it is still not fully understood what causes Type 2 diabetes. It is sometimes called the diagnosis of exclusion. A diagnosis that is made after excluding other reasons for high blood glucose.
Other types of diabetes
Although Type 1 and Type 2 are most talked about diabetes, there are numerous other types. There is gestational diabetes. Then there are rare kinds of diabetes like MODY, LADA, diabetes caused by cystic fibrosis, etc. Even prolonged drug therapy with steroids may cause diabetes.
Diagnosing other kinds of diabetes is quite challenging. It is possible only with extensive lab testing. It is not rare for doctors to misdiagnose rare type of diabetes as Type 2 diabetes. However, this misdiagnosis does not appear to harm patients as the treatment remains the same in most cases.
What is Type 4 diabetes?
Type 4 diabetes is not an official diagnosis yet. There is still controversy around it whether it is a different kind of diabetes or not.
Many practitioners have noticed that some of their older patients develop insulin resistance. Another vital sign is that they complain about extreme weakness and fatigue. However, unlike in Type 2 diabetes, these older adults are not obese or overweight. Instead, these are lean individuals with a more or less healthy lifestyle.
As one can see that there are reasons to believe that it is not Type 2 diabetes. The age of onset is quite old. Weakness is the hallmark, along with insulin resistance. All patients are lean.
Researchers have noticed that it causes a considerable healthcare burden and yet remains unrecognized. There is little understanding of what causes this type of diabetes. However, some studies suggest that it may be due to changes in the body caused by aging.
Some of the signs and symptoms of Type 4 diabetes are fatigue, increased thirst, worsening vision, increased hunger. Some may develop poorly healing ulcers. Frequent urges to urinate and weight loss are commonly present. Since Type 4 is not an official diagnosis, doctors would generally treat it as Type 2 diabetes. Thus, they would start managing it with the help of oral medicines. However, aggressive glucose management in this age group remains controversial.