Introduction

With a fast-paced lifestyle characterized by unhealthy dietary habits and a sedentary routine, there is an increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus. It is among the most common problems affecting numerous people in our surroundings. We all know someone affected by this metabolic condition. You have heard about its types, including type I and type II. But, surprisingly, a new type of diabetes has been under research, i.e., type 4 diabetes. Researchers have been investigating type 4 diabetes.

Continue reading this post to get more insight into diabetes. The article answers the most common query: what are the 4 types of diabetes? Another commonly asked question (is there type 4 diabetes?) is also answered in the article. It presents brief information on Type 4 diabetes.

What Are The 4 Types Of Diabetes?

People who have diabetes are unable to process glucose appropriately. The blood glucose level remains high, becoming the cause of other complications. Consequences like retinopathy (retina/eye disease), neuropathy (nervous/brain disease), and nephropathy (kidney disease) are common in diabetes patients. It is essential to diagnose the correct type to mitigate the risk of these complications. It also helps to initiate the appropriate treatment.

The 4 types of diabetes include type 1, 2, gestational, and type 4 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

It is an autoimmune disease, meaning your body’s immune cells start attacking its cells. With the immune attack, the pancreas (gland) cells that secrete insulin (hormone) are destroyed. Insulin which is a hormone is responsible for regulating blood glucose levels. Hence, people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to control their sugar levels.

Type 2 Diabetes

Among the 4 types of diabetes, diabetes mellitus type 2 is the most common. In this type, the body fails to make enough insulin, or sometimes the cells fail to respond to insulin. It mainly occurs in middle-aged people. Since there is an issue regulating glucose due to insulin insufficiency, the patients must regularly take glucose-lowering medicines.

Gestational Diabetes

It is one of the 4 types of diabetes that develops during pregnancy in some women. It may tend to develop into type 2 diabetes. Women who develop gestational diabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the later stage of their life.

Type 4 Diabetes

There is type 4 diabetes which is still under research. High levels of white blood cells (WBCs), immune cells, are the hallmark of type 4 diabetes. There is an increased level of regulatory t lymphocytes, the type of WBCs. Fatty tissues that store fats harbor regulatory t lymphocytes. There is a direct relationship between the accumulation of these cells and an individual’s age. The accumulation increases as the person grow older.

Is There A Type 4 Diabetes?

There is a new type of diabetes recently discovered. Insulin resistance is the leading cause of type 4 diabetes in older people. In contrast to diabetes type 2 which is often associated with obesity, type 4 diabetes occurs in the elderly who are lean and do not have obesity. Another critical revelation about type 4 diabetes is its association with increasing age. As with age, there is an excessive formation of immune cells.

Symptoms of Type 4 Diabetes

Like other types of diabetes, type 4 diabetes also has similar symptoms. These include excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, blurring vision, and frequent urination. Although the symptoms are similar to other types of diabetes, type 4 diabetes occurs in underweight people. So, it becomes tough to detect. Hence, accurate detection requires testing for the disease. It is essential for the appropriate treatment design.

Treatment of Type 4 Diabetes

Since the research on type 4 diabetes is still in its infancy, there is no exact treatment. However, experts are striving to develop an antibody drug to help reduce the excessive formation of immune cells causing type 4 diabetes. Doctors now treat patients with the same medicines as type 2 diabetes. These medicines help manage the symptoms and regulate glucose levels in the blood.

Conclusion

The article shed light on the most common health issue, diabetes. You are now aware of the 4 types of diabetes as it highlights different types of this metabolic disease. In addition, there is a debrief on type 4 diabetes as the above content answers the most asked question, i.e., is there a type 4 diabetes? It is the recently discovered diabetes type in which immune cell accumulation impairs insulin function. It, in turn, leads to an increased level of glucose. Since the symptoms are similar to other types of diabetes, so it is difficult to diagnose. So, getting tested for the diagnosis is crucial so that appropriate treatment can be designed to avoid grave consequences.

You can also read: Diabetes: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, and Treatment