So you ask why I have come to this conclusion? Well, two events have happened in the last week that made me realize the names confuse people. First, in my pre-hospital emergency care class, we were discussing diabetes during the lesson. The students began asking me questions and I soon determined that they were unsure about the two different kinds. And these are people who are mostly biology majors and should be well educated about human disease, especially one as common as diabetes. At this point I had to sit down and explain the differences and similarities of the two. Secondly, I was at dinner with some friends last night and one friend in particular decided to get a large ice-cream sundae. When the dessert was brought to the table, he proceeded to look at me and say jokingly, “I have to stop eating all these desserts or I’m going to get diabetes, right Megan?” I quickly replied with a five minute lecture about the different kinds of diabetes. I don’t think he’ll ever make that mistake again.

But in all seriousness, the two main diseases labeled under the umbrella of “diabetes” are different, and for clarification purposes with the general public, I feel that it is in everyone’s best interest to find a way to combat this misunderstanding. If nothing else, the comments like “You’re so skinny, there’s no way you have diabetes!” and “Are you sure you can have that doughnut with your diabetes?” might slow down, or maybe even stop. Hey, it couldn’t hurt!