What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Find out below!
Diabetes. Most of us know someone affected by it, whether it be a family member, friend, coworker or neighbor. Or maybe you are 1 of the 23 million Americans who is diagnosed with diabetes. We know diabetes can have a major impact on people’s lives in a variety of ways. Today I’m breaking it down and discussing the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
However, before we get started on the differences between types, I feel a need for a brief diabetes 101 discussion.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is essentially high blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) levels in the blood. It is a disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, is impaired. I like to use the analogy of a locked door. Normally, the doors to our cells are locked. In order to open them, we need certain hormones to unlock them. In the case of diabetes and blood glucose, that key is insulin. Insulin acts as the key to open the cell doors to let glucose out of the blood and into the cells to be used for energy (glucose is our body’s main source of energy).
In diabetes, that key isn’t working properly (insulin resistance) or there isn’t enough keys to open the door. If the key isn’t working, the cell doors remain closed and glucose stays in the blood stream, resulting in high blood sugar levels. So what is the body to do?
It can do a few different things. Most often at first, it increases the amount of insulin being made by the pancreas. The more insulin (keys) being made, the more likely the cell doors will open. The pancreas is essentially revving up insulin production. But just like a revving a car engine (pedal to the metal), it cannot sustain that high output forever. Over time, the pancreas will wear out and not be able to make as much insulin, leading to the development of diabetes.
Common symptoms of diabetes (for both type 1 and type 2) include excessive hunger, frequent thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, blurry vision, fatigue, and numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
If left untreated or poorly managed, high blood glucose levels and diabetes can lead to problems such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems, dental disease, nerve damage, and foot problems.
Type 1 Diabetes
In type 1 diabetes the body makes very little or no insulin. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body has attacked and destroyed the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Along with proper nutrition, in order to survive, people with type 1 diabetes require external insulin (via injections or through a pump) for the rest of their life. It is most commonly diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, but can occur at any age.
Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes, accounting for 5-10% of all diabetes cases. The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it is thought to have multiple components, including immune, genetic and environmental causes. Onset of type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle and, as of now, there is nothing you can do to prevent it and no cure for it.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes accounts for the majority of diabetes cases (90-95%). In type 2 diabetes, the body may still be able to make insulin, but just not as much or it isn’t using it very well (known as insulin resistance). It is most often diagnosed in middle-age or older, but can develop at any age, including childhood. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet and exercise, oral medications (pills), non-insulin injectable medications, and/or insulin. I’ve had some patients who were able to manage their type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise alone, but I’ve also seen patients on a cocktail of medications to help control their type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by several factors, of which genetics and lifestyle seem to be the biggest contributors. (You can take the American Association of Diabetes diabetes risk test to see your risk of type 2 diabetes.) The good news, with type 2 diabetes there is a lot you can do to prevent it – mainly lifestyle modifications, such as eating healthy and being physically active. There is no known cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can be well managed and, in some cases, people are able to go off medication(s) and control it with lifestyle alone.
To help you understand the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes better, I’ve put it all together into one infographic:
There are many similarities in treatment and care for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, there are also some big differences as well. Knowing the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes can help you better understand the diagnoses as well as help arm you with knowledge to prevent type 2 diabetes if you have a risk.
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