American Diabetes Month

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes was previously call non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it.

Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complication in the infant. After pregnancy, 5% to 10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have type 2 diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20% to 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 5-10 years. 70% of women who have had gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes at some point during their lifetime.

Other types of diabetes result from specific genetic conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes of youth), surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes account for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases.

Pre-diabetes is a condition that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. People with pre-diabetes have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Progression to diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable. Studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and even return their blood glucose levels to normal. 2 million adolescents aged 12-19 (1 in 6 overweight adolescents aged 12-19) have pre-diabetes.

Who is at Greater Risk for Diabetes?

Type 1

• Siblings of people with type 1 diabetes
• Children of parents with type 1 diabetes

Type 2

• People with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG)
• People over age 45
• People with a family history of diabetes
• People who are overweight
• People who do not exercise regularly
• People with low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides, high blood pressure
• Certain racial and ethnic groups (e.g., Non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanic/Latino Americans,
• Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and American Indians and Alaska Natives)
• Women who had gestational diabetes, or who have had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth

Warning Sign of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue
• Irritability

Type 2 Diabetes

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
• Recurring skin, gum or bladder infections
• *Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms

Source: www.diabetes.org

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