UNDERSTANDING THE THREE MAIN TYPES OF DIABETES

Hundreds of millions of people across the globe are living with diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, approximately 463 million people between the ages of 20 and 79 had diabetes in 2019, and the group expects that number to increase by almost 300 million over the next quarter century.

Diabetes is a complex disease characterized by the inability of the pancreas to make insulin or by the body’s inability to make good use of the insulin it can produce. People diagnosed with diabetes will likely be told if they have one of the three main types of the disease.

Understanding each type can help patients recognize what’s going on with their bodies and what they need to do to overcome their disease.

Type 1 diabetes

The IDF notes that Type 1 diabetes occurs most frequently in children and adolescents, even though it can develop at any age. The body of a person with Type 1 diabetes produces no insulin or very little insulin due to an autoimmune reaction in which the body’s defense system attacks the cells that produce insulin. As a result, Type 1 diabetes patients must receive daily insulin injections to maintain their blood glucose levels. The risk factors for Type 1 diabetes are still being studied, but the IDF notes that family history, environmental factors and some viral infections have been linked to an elevated risk for the disease.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, accounting for roughly 90 percent of all cases across the globe. When a person has Type 2 diabetes, his or her body does not make good use of the insulin it produces. An unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle can increase a person’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and oftentimes Type 2 diabetes treatment plans include adopting a healthy diet and exercising more frequently. However, the IDF notes that many Type 2 diabetes patients will ultimately need to take oral drugs and/or insulin to keep their blood glucose levels under control.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes, or GDM, affects pregnant women and is characterized by high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. While GDM typically disappears after women give birth, mothers who experienced GDM and their children are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people across the globe. But many of those people can lower their risk for diabetes with a few simple strategies. More information about diabetes is available at www.idf.org.