Diabetes types
The three main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. In addition to these types of diabetes there is what is called pre-diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is what is considered an autoimmune disease. We have all heard this term before but what does it really mean? To be autoimmune means that your immune system has begun to look at a certain part in your body as something bad that needs to be fought and destroyed.
In a case of Type 1 Diabetes, the part of your body considered bad is the cells inside your pancreas that produce insulin. Because of this, a person that has Type 1 Diabetes must take insulin every day for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, scientists do not yet know exactly why the body’s immune system decides that your insulin producing cells are bad, but continue doing research into Type 1 Diabetes in hopes of finding the cause.
To give you an idea as to the numbers they are up against, Type 1 Diabetes is responsible for five to ten percent of all diabetes found in the United States alone. Most cases of Type 1 Diabetes develop during childhood, or during adolescent years.
Although the obliteration of the cells can happen over a much longer period of time, the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes usually develop fairly quickly. Some of these symptoms include in increased thirst, need to urinate, and increased hunger.
With Type 1 Diabetes, you can also experience blurred vision, weight loss and the feeling of extreme exhaustion. The reason for these Type 1 Diabetes symptoms is due to your body’s need for the energy that insulin provides your cells.
People with Type 1 Diabetes must take insulin every day otherwise they can lapse into a severe diabetic coma. This life threatening result is called ketoacidosis.
Type 2 Diabetes is the next in line. This type of diabetes is the most common form that you will see. A staggering 90% to 95% of people with diabetes suffer from this type. Of those 90 to 95 percent, most are older adults, have a family history of diabetes, are obese, or have had a history of gestational diabetes. These are only a few of the causes of Type 2 Diabetes, with obesity being the largest factor. Furthermore, Type 2 Diabetes has been increasingly found in children.
For Type 2 Diabetes, it is not that the pancreas cannot produce insulin, but that the body rejects the insulin made. The symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes develop more slowly over time and can include fatigue, a feeling of always being thirsty, and having to frequently urinate, as well as loss of weight and blurred vision to name a few. On the other hands, some people with Type 2 Diabetes never have any symptoms. With these types of cases, it is difficult to get an early diagnosis.
The third type of diabetes is gestational. If you or someone you are close to have ever been pregnant, then you would know that many pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. However, unlike Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes, gestational usually goes away after your baby is born. Unfortunately, some women who develop this condition have a large chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes usually within 5 to 10 years. To help prevent this, it is recommended that you eat right and exercise regularly.
Lastly comes pre-diabetes. This type of diabetes happens when your blood glucose levels are high, but not high enough to be considered having Type 2 Diabetes. Over 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, and most people with Type 2 Diabetes will present with pre-diabetes beforehand. What makes this condition so dangerous is that research has found long term damage to the heart and circulatory system evident in those with Type 2 Diabetes that first had pre-diabetes.
However, research has also shown that with diligences in managing your glucose
In the end it all comes down to eating healthy, excising regularly, and keeping your glucose levels under control. If you want to learn more about these conditions and how to manage them, you can look up the American Diabetes Association to find all the information you need. Don’t hesitate to secure your future.