Diabetes' Civil War - Type 1 vs Type 2 - Interesting parallels to ME/CFS Perceptions

[Anika]

Interesting article online from Chicago Tribune about tensions between those with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, how they're both tired of misunderstanding, and concerns that the greater prevalence and focus on Type 2 may detract from research into Type 1 / diabetes mellitus, the autoimmune condition:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...etes-insulin-lifestyle-changes-and-medication

There are some interesting parallels to ME / CFS in terms of perception, although the recognition and attention by the medical community to both types of diabetes (and I think it makes sense to use different terminology for both types, like mellitus for type 1) is a far cry from that given ME/CFS.

Some excerpts:

"As rates of Type 2 diabetes soar, tempers are flaring in the diabetes blogosphere, where many people with Type 1 diabetes are lobbying for a new, distinct name for their condition in hopes of clearing up misconceptions and securing more resources to put toward a cure."
...

"...because Type 2 diabetes is far more common it receives most of the attention. Type 1's often hear "You don't look like a diabetic!" or are assumed to have caused their illness by overeating.

"Typically, people have no idea what diabetes is or how it works," said Chicago's Laura Fitzgerald, 21, who was diagnosed at age 6. "They assume I did it to myself."

Diabetes educator Riva Greenberg has repeatedly advocated for a name change, hoping that greater recognition will lead to more stem cell research.

"When the two types are lumped together, it's hard for organizations committed to finding a cure to Type 1 to really get funded," said Greenberg, author of "50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life." "If policymakers don't understand the difference between the two they are thinking people need to move more and eat less it's going to be hard to help cure Type 1."

 

[Sasha]

Interesting - I've always thought that trying to distinguish between two similar concepts by calling them Type 1 and Type 2 is nuts (Type 1 and Type 2 error, anyone? No, me neither).

 

[Mithriel]

There are actually more than two types of diabetes, I can't remember the name of the other two but they all need different treatments.

The diabetes world is very similar to CFS except it is drug companies who act the way our psyches do, same problem with colluding patient organisations as well.

The idea that type 2 diabetes is caused by obesity and lack of exercise has been shown to be wrong in very large scale (thousands of people) studies in Europe. The lean offspring of type 2 diabetics process sugar differently. It is apparent that diabetes could more rightly be seen as a genetic disease that causes obesity but that does not fit with the objectives of the drug companies or the way that society holds fatness to be a moral issue.

Many diabetics feel that they have to be their own doctor and it was an eye opener for me to see how much of the the way research is distorted towards agendas. It is a case of follow the money as usual.

Interestingly for us, very little is really known about either form of diabetes despite the vast amount of research being done. No one knows exactly what is wrong in the body and no one has ever isolated an insulin secreting cell. It annoys me when ME/CFS is dismissed as a real illness because they can't find what causes it when so many accepted illnesses are the same.

Mithriel