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Understanding The Different Diabetes Types

Diabetes mellitus, or more commonly just diabetes, is a disease characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood caused by an inability of the cells within the body to properly absorb and process it. Diabetes comes in three types with minor variations possible within each type. When most people hear the word diabetes, they automatically think of insulin needles and finger pricks. However, understanding the different diabetes types is one of the keys needed in order to have hope of unlocking the cure.

Type One diabetes, sometimes referred to as juvenile onset diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks a portion of the pancreas known as the islets of Langerhans and destroys the body's ability to produce insulin. There is no known cure for type I diabetes.

Although it is referred to as juvenile onset, type I diabetes can develop at any time in a person's life. The cause is unknown, but certain individuals and groups have been shown to have a genetic predisposition for this disease. At present, the only known treatment for this disorder is daily insulin injections to replace what the body is not producing.

Type II diabetes, formerly referred to as adult onset diabetes, is considerably different. While still characterized by an increase in the levels of glucose in the patient's blood, causative factors are considerably changed. With type II diabetes, the body generally produces insulin in a sufficient supply but the cells develop a resistance to insulin that keeps it from doing its job and transferring glucose into the cells.

In recent years, onset of type II diabetes has been occurring at younger ages. It is commonly believed that one of the main reasons for this is an extreme increase in juvenile obesity. It has been shown that individuals who are medically obese are at a significantly higher risk of developing type II diabetes.

Unlike type I diabetes, type II diabetes can often be treated by making lifestyle changes in diet and exercise routines. While extreme cases may require insulin injections to overcome the body's resistance, there are other drugs that have been proven effective in aiding the cells and improving their ability to accept insulin and transfer glucose properly.

Milder cases may not require any medications at all. In these cases simple monitoring of blood glucose levels and modification of diet are often enough to put the disease in remission. At the present time, there is no known cure for diabetes of any type, however, proper care of the body can often put type II diabetes into a permanent state of remission.

The third type of diabetes is identified as gestational diabetes and only affects pregnant women. While the causes of gestational diabetes are not known, certain groups of women are more likely to develop it than others. In many cases, gestational diabetes has absolutely no symptoms. It is only detected when a doctor performs a routine blood panel and notes an increase in blood glucose levels. Changes in diet are normally enough to control blood glucose levels in such cases. If diet alone does not work, there are certain medications available that modify the way the body uses insulin and do not involve insulin injection that can be prescribed. Gestational diabetes normally goes away shortly after the birth of the baby. However, women who develop gestational diabetes are at a significantly higher risk for developing type II diabetes later in life.

Understanding The Different Diabetes Types

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