Diabetes Types

The official name is diabetes mellitus.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. It is a chronic condition. With type 1 diabetes your pancreas produces little or no insulin. The insulin allows sugar (glucose) to enter your cells and produce energy.

Type 1 diabetes typically appears during adolescence. Genetics and exposure to certain viruses contribute to type 1 diabetes. There is no cure. You can manage it, however. Insulin injections become a way of life if you have type 1 diabetes.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. It is a chronic condition. It affects the way your body uses sugar, called glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for your cells. Fuel to maintain an internal temperature of 98.6°F and fuel to repair and grow new cells – that is the role of glucose.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body is resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas. The pancreas is a fist-sized gland behind your stomach. Your stomach is on the left side of your body above your waist.

The consequences of type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening. There is no cure for diabetes. But, you can manage it, reverse it, or prevent it from happening. All you need are some lifestyle changes.
If that is not enough, you may need some diabetes medications or insulin to control your blood sugar.

Symptoms

Some of the signs and symptoms of diabetes are:

• Increased thirst and frequent urination. As excess sugar builds in your bloodstream, fluid exits from your cells. This can leave you thirsty. Then you may drink more and urinate more.
• Extreme hunger. Without enough insulin to get sugar into your cells, your muscles and organs are starving for fuel. This triggers intense hunger. Without insulin, the sugar in your food never reaches your energy-deprived cells.
• Weight loss. In spite of eating more than usual, you may lose weight. Your muscle tissues and fat stores may simply shrink.
• Fatigue. When your cells do not have sugar, you may become tired and irritable.
• Slow-healing sores or frequent infections. Type 2 diabetes affects your ability to heal and resist infections.
• Blurred vision. If your blood sugar level is too high, fluid can exit from the lenses of your eyes. This may affect your ability to focus.

What Causes Diabetes?

No one knows exactly what causes diabetes type 1. Doctors do know that in most cases your body’s immune system mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Genetics usually plays a role. So does exposure to certain viruses.

Once the pancreas cells die, you will produce little to no insulin. Normally, the hormone insulin allows glucose to enter your cells. The glucose provides energy to your muscles and tissues.

Your liver acts as glucose storage center. The liver converts glycogen back to glucose to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range.

Complications

Long-term complications from diabetes develop gradually. Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening.

• Heart disease. Diabetes dramatically increases your risk of cardiovascular problems. You could develop coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure. 65% of people with diabetes die of some type of heart disease.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy). Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels, the capillaries. They nourish your nerve cells especially in your legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, or pain that usually begins in your toes or fingers and gradually spreads. Sometimes when gangrene sets in, you may lose your foot or part of your leg.
• Kidney damage (nephropathy). The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters. They filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage these cells. Severe damage leads to kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease.
• Eye damage. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina. This leads to blindness.
• Skin and mouth conditions. Diabetes can leave you more susceptible to skin problems. Gum infections may also be a concern.
• Osteoporosis. Diabetes may lead to lower than normal bone mineral density.
• Hearing problems. These occur more frequently in people with diabetes.

Tests and Diagnosis

In June 2009, an international committee recommended that testing for diabetes types include:

• Glycated hemoglobin (A1c) test. This blood test measures your average blood sugar level over the past two or three months. It measures the percent of blood sugar attached to your hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in your blood. An A1c level of 6.5% or higher indicates you have diabetes.
• Random blood sugar test. A blood sample taken at anytime with a level of 200 mg/dL or higher is diabetic.
• Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample taken after an overnight fast with a glucose reading less than 100 mg/dL is normal. If it is above 126 mg/dL or higher, you are diabetic.

Treatment and drugs

Treatment for diabetes includes:

• Taking medication or insulin
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Eating healthy foods
• Monitoring your blood sugar levels

Conclusion

In our discussion of diabetes types we described type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Elsewhere on this web site is information about gestational diabetes, and more information about type 2 diabetes. Go to the Table of Contents to find other articles.

Margaret Stenerson
February 24, 2010