Dr. Dawn Harper, a general practitioner and television personality, has shared her personal experience of being diagnosed with what she describes as 'Type 1.5' diabetes. Harper, who maintained a healthy diet and lifestyle, discovered her condition after receiving unusual test results during a filming engagement.
In an account for the Daily Mail, Harper explained that she was exhausted after a long day of filming when a researcher flagged that some of her test results were "a bit strange." As a doctor, she was trained to recognize diabetes symptoms, making her own diagnosis a surprise.
She described her situation as being in a "no-man’s-land of prediabetes," noting that Type 1.5 diabetes is a term often unfamiliar to many, and some individuals may not realize they have it. Common risk factors for developing diabetes include being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, and a diet high in fat and sugar.
Harper now uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which tracks her blood sugar levels every three minutes. She stated that the device has significantly changed her approach to eating.
Type 1.5 diabetes, also known as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), shares characteristics of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In LADA, the immune system gradually destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, similar to Type 1 diabetes. However, the autoimmune destruction is slower, and individuals may initially be misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes because they are often adults and may not exhibit the rapid onset of symptoms typical of Type 1 diabetes.
Early symptoms of diabetes can include increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, and slow-healing sores. If left unmanaged, diabetes can lead to serious long-term complications affecting the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.