What Are the Different Types of Diabetes?

Diabetes is a long-lasting health condition that occurs when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin or when there’s an abnormality in the way your body uses glucose. It is a common problem in the United States, affecting over 30 million adults. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes. Experts at Med Spa 89148 recommend lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight and exercising to control your blood sugar. Below are the different types of diabetes explained.

Type 1 diabetes

It is a chronic condition whereby the pancreas produces little or no insulin hormone. As a result, the cells do not absorb sugar from the blood, increasing glucose levels in the bloodstream. Type 1 diabetes develops when your body’s defense system attacks insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. There is no known cause as to why this happens, but environmental factors and genetics are possible causes of this condition. Type 2 diabetes mostly appears during childhood but can also occur in adults.

The symptoms of this disease can appear suddenly, and the most common ones include extreme hunger, increased thirst, frequent peeing, bed wetting in children who didn’t wet their beds, irritability, fatigue, and mood changes. If you don’t control type 1 diabetes, you may develop kidney damage, nerve damage, and cardiovascular problems. Patients with type 1 diabetes require life-long insulin therapy.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is due to primarily two interrelated problems – production of little insulin by the pancreas or poor response of the cells to insulin action. Insulin helps regulate blood sugar, and when your body doesn’t produce this hormone, glucose accumulates in the bloodstream. Previously, type2diabetes was common in adults, but due to obesity in children, type 2 diabetes is now prevalent in younger people.

Most people with type 2 diabetes may not know since the symptoms develop gradually and worsen over time. You may experience fatigue, frequent urination, increased thirst, blurred vision, and unintended weight loss when symptoms are present. Although there’s no cure for this disease, lifestyle modifications such as exercising, losing weight, and eating healthy foods can help control blood sugar.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than average but not accelerated enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes. Although prediabetes doesn’t necessarily progress to type two diabetes, it may do so without lifestyle changes. The good news is that you can prevent the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes by losing extra pounds, eating healthy, and exercising every day. Usually, prediabetes causes no signs and symptoms, but hyperpigmentation on certain parts of the body is a possible sign. Symptoms such as increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, excess hunger, and blurred vision suggest the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed first in pregnant women who haven’t had this condition before. It occurs when your pancreas secrets little or no insulin during pregnancy, putting you and your baby’s health at risk. Most of the time, lifestyle changes like eating healthy help control blood sugar, but some women require medication. Uncontrolled gestational diabetes may result in premature and sometimes stillbirth.

If you have further questions about diabetes, consult with your doctor at Modern Wellness Clinic.