Today I had a conversation about reversing vs. curing diabetes (thanks for the prompt, L.A.). This is typically referring to type 2 diabetes. I’ve posted before about cure stuff – type 1 and type 2 – and I’m cure-ious… about what others consider a reversal vs. a cure. In fact, there’s another term that’s gets thrown in the mix now and then, and that is “remission.”
I used to work in pediatric oncology, so for me it’s hard to use the term “remission” with diabetes of any type. When I think of “reversing” diabetes, I think about attaining an A1C in the normal range, and when I think about “curing” diabetes, I imagine the pancreas suddenly turning back on and producing insulin; insulin resistance disappearing. Just as insulin was not a cure back in 1921 (as they thought it was), for me an artificial pancreas is not a cure.
How do you define the following terms, as they relate to type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Remission…Reversal…Cure