diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone.
When your body turns the food you eat into energy (also called sugar or glucose), insulin is released
to help transport this energy to the cells. Insulin acts as a “key.” Its chemical message tells the cell
to open and receive glucose. If you produce little or no insulin, or are insulin resistant, too much
sugar remains in your blood. Blood glucose levels are higher than normal for individuals with
diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 diabetes
When you are affected with Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not produce insulin. Type 1
diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes, since it is often diagnosed in children or teens. This type
accounts for 5-10 percent of people with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, or when the cells are
unable to use insulin properly, which is called insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is commonly
called “adult-onset diabetes” since it is diagnosed later in life, generally after the age of 45. 90-95
percent of people with diabetes have this type. In recent years Type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed
in younger people, including children, more frequently than in the past.
Other types diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and affects about 18 percent of all pregnancies,
according to the American Diabetes Association.
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, but once you've had gestational diabetes,
your chances are higher that it will happen in future pregnancies. In some women pregnancy
uncovers Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and these women will need to continue diabetes treatment after
pregnancy.
There seems to be a link between the tendency to have gestational diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and
many women who had gestational diabetes develop Type 2 diabetes later on. Gestational diabetes
and Type 2 diabetes both involve insulin resistance. Certain basic lifestyle changes may help
prevent diabetes after gestational diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar levels to be higher than normal but not
high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that there
are 41 million Americans that have pre-diabetes in addition to the 18.2 million with diabetes.
Pathophysiology of type 1 diabetes
In this condition the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing beta cells of the
pancreas. There is beta cell deficiency leading to complete insulin deficiency. Thus is it termed an
autoimmune disease where there are anti insulin or anti-islet cell antibodies present in blood. These
cause lymphocytic infiltration and destruction of the pancreas islets. The destruction may take time
but the onset of the disease is rapid and may occur over a few days to weeks.
There may be other autoimmune conditions associated with type 1 diabetes including vitiligo and
hypothyroidism. Type 1 diabetes always requires insulin therapy, and will not respond to insulin-
stimulating oral drugs.
