Just got my GAD65 results in from the lab but don’t have an appointment with my endo for a few weeks. I’ve tried to do some reading online but can’t really make sense of what I’m seeing. Wondering if anyone with more experience can help me decipher the results?
Anti-GAD65 Antibody
Flags: HI
Results: 62
Reference: <5
Units: IU/mL
This test was performed using the GAD65 Elisa method. New method, Elisa,is standardized against the International reference preparation 97/550, is reported in International Units/mL and a new reference range was implemented.
“You’re one of us, you’re one of us, you’re one of us!!!”
Sorry you’re one of us, but short of the infinitesimally small probability of having symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and a high GAD score from an ultra-rare neurological disorder (GAD-65 and -67 are associated with a couple of rare autoimmune neurological conditions), that combined with symptoms almost assuredly means you are a Type 1 diabetic.
Did you have any questions about whether you were a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic before getting these results?
Yes, I have had questions about what type I might have. I was diagnosed Nov 2019 but I was 35 and not overweight so not totally typical for Type 2. It’s been unclear exactly what’s been going on. I was on insulin for the first 6 months and then my endo took me off of it because it was going really well because he thought maybe that meant that instead of Type 1 I was Type 2. This winter he wanted to put me back on a long lasting insulin because I was having a harder time controlling my bg (it also wasn’t really ‘resetting’ overnight). And we decided to do the anti-body test to see if there might be an answer there.
Right, that is consistent with being LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes of adults), which often has a slower onset that T1 in kids, and is often confused with Type 2. I was diagnosed T2, and later re-diagnosed as Type 1. It’s also not terribly unusual to have intermittent need for insulin in adult-onset T1 detected fairly early. The other test you might ask for (although an endocrinologist will either assume you’re T1 or ask for this test) is a C-peptide test to see how much insulin your body is naturally making. But, for all intents and purposes it sounds like you joined the club no one wants to belong to! To be fair, there are a lot of such clubs, but this one is ours
