If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes recently, it is natural to question yourself, what must have caused my diabetes? Type 2 Diabetes is very prevalent in our population. So when any adult gets the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, it is common practice to assume its Type 2 diabetes. And, most of the time, this assumption is very true. But not all adults with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes have actual type 2 diabetes. Adults can develop late onset autoimmune diabetes, which requires treatment with insulin. Adults can be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, way into their 50s and 60s. If you are not obese, you have other autoimmune conditions or if you are not responding to standard treatment, it is reasonable to do more testing to confirm what kind of diabetes you really have. Some people get diabetes after receiving a lot of steroids, such has prednisone or dexamethasone. Some people can develop diabetes because they take certain medications. Some people get diabetes after transplant surgeries. Sometimes, patients have strong family history of diabetes and they can have a rare kind of heriditary diabetes called MODY. Type 2 diabetes happens due to a process called 'insulin resistance', where your fat cells don't respond normally to insulin and your body is forced to make a lot of insulin to compensate and bring sugars down.
It is important to consider this question 'what caused my diabetes?'. Specially, when all pieces of puzzle don't seem to fit. Remember, an informed patient is an empowered patient.