DIABETES- TYPE 1 VS TYPE 2

Diabetes mellitus, more commonly referred to simply as diabetes is a disease marked by high blood sugar that is a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is a very simple form of sugar and it is the body’s main energy source after food is digested and the more complex sugars are broken down into glucose, the glucose enters bloodstream where it circulates throughout the body. However, in order for the cells of the body to use glucose for energy, a chemical called insulin must help the glucose exit bloodstream and enter the cells.
Insulin is produced by the pancreas and the organ is located just behind the lower stomach. In people with type 1 diabetes, the cells of pancreas that produce insulin are attacked and killed off by the body’s own immune system, so little to no insulin is produced and glucose left to build up in the bloodstream. In people with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin normally but the body cells become resistant to its effects, therefore the pancreas must work harder to produce enough insulin to bring a sufficient amount of glucose into the cells.
Over time the pancreas cannot keep up with the demand for insulin and glucose builds up in the bloodstream. A tthird type of diabetes called gestational diabetes is similar to type-2 diabetes. Ggestational sometimes occurs in pregnant women because certain hormones produced during pregnancy increase the body’s resistance to insulin. Gestational diabetes is usually temporary and blood sugar levels return to normal following childbirth. The buildup of glucose in bloodstream causes similar symptoms for people affected by any type of diabetes. These symptoms include increased thirst and urination as the body tries to expel excess glucose from the bloodstream, fatigue, hunger and weight loss as the cells of the body are starved, their energy source and vision problems, sores and nerve pain as the build-up of glucose in the bloodstream damages small blood vessels in type 1 diabetes.
These symptoms often appear suddenly during childhood or adolescence as some environmental factors like an illness or exposure to harsh weather triggers the immune system to attack the pancreas. For this reason, type 1 diabetes was once called juvenile diabetes but further research has shown that type 1 diabetes can be triggered later in life and type 2 diabetes may appear early in life. Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, symptoms often gradually appear later in life and his cells slowly build up resistance to insulin. Several factors including being overweight, lack of exercise, high blood pressure and age contribute to the body’s insulin resistance because the underlying cause of type 1 diabetes is a lack of insulin. Treatment involves injecting insulin with a needle or pump while those with type 1 diabetes are urged to monitor their diet and exercise.
Type 1 diabetes is irreversible and cannot be controlled with a healthy lifestyle alone, type-2 diabetes may be controlled with changes to diet and lifestyle oral medications or insulin injections, depending on how far the disease has progressed. Another archaic term for type 1 and 2 diabetes was insulin dependent and non insulin-dependent diabetes, respectively but these terms are no longer used as some type 2 diabetics require insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels.
An essential part of treatment for any type of diabetes is the tracking of blood sugar levels with a glucose monitor. If the blood stream contains too much or too little glucose, life-threatening complications can suddenly occur, often accompanied by worrisome symptoms like confusion, dizziness, weakness, seizures and hallucinations. While type 1 and 2 diabetes share many of the same symptoms, root cause, population affected and treatment options are very different. Understanding these differences will give you a better understanding of the lives over 400 million diabetics worldwide.