Types of Diabetes
The two types of diabetes that are most well known are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, but other types are gestational diabetes and diabetes insipidus.
Type 1 diabetes, was once known as juvenile diabetes, because it is often diagnosed from an early age. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin, so sugar is prevented from entering the body cells to help produce energy, so the sugar levels in the blood remain very high. This is an insulin dependant condition Type 1 Diabetes accounts for 5 – 10% of all people suffering from this ailment.
- Image by Bernard Farrell via Flickr
Type 2 diabetes, once referred to as adult onset diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes, which is non insulin dependant. The difference is that the pancreas does still produce insulin, but the body no longer uses it as effectively, as the cells begin to develop a resistance to insulin.
Common diabetes symptoms for both Type 1 and 2 diabetes include thirst, weight loss, increased urination. With Type 1 diabetes, the symptoms will be a lot more obvious and happen straightaway. However ,the symptoms can occur very gradually with Type 2 Diabetes and go unnoticed, until more serious diabetes symptoms like cramps, or blurred vision occur regularly.
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes, where women can develop high blood sugar levels during the later months of pregnancy, as they are unable to make or use enough insulin to support the pregnancy. It affects about 4% of pregnant women and should be carefully monitored, as it can cause preeclampsia and affect the unborn child.
Diabetes insipidus is not really diabetes at all. It is a completely different condition, but is often compared, as diabetes symptoms are similar – increased thirst and urination. The most common type of diabetes insipidus is usually due to damage or destruction to the part of the pituitary gland where vasopressin is produced, so it is no longer made. Vasopressin is the hormone that the kidney uses to reduce urine by increasing its concentration.
