.
To understand diabetes as a condition, it’s necessary to address type 1 and 2. Although there’s very clear differences between them, they both share one aspect一being serious conditions that, when untreated, can lead to severe health complications. Luckily, if you’re in Church Falls, VA, you can manage it at CareLife.
If you want to learn accurately about this common health condition, keep on reading. In this article, CareLife breaks down the main 4 differences between type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Diabetes as a Condition
Diabetes is a disease that happens when your blood glucose or sugar spikes to a high level. Your glucose is your body’s energy fountain一you can either produce it or consume it through your food. What helps glucose enter your cells in order to create energy is insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas.
When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t produce any or too little insulin, which results in your glucose staying for too long in your blood. Your eyes, kidneys, heart and other body functions can be severely affected by diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
While type 1 and 2 are the most known types of diabetes, there’s other ways in which this condition can manifest in your body. Learn about the several forms of diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes patients’ bodies can’t produce insulin, or only get to produce a small amount一their immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Even though type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, it’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults.
Type 2 Diabetes
When you have type 2 diabetes, your body may be producing insulin, yet your cells aren’t making use of it properly. In other cases, the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to keep up with a normal blood glucose level. Type 2 diabetes is normally triggered by risk factors like obesity or a family history with diabetes per se, and can appear at any age.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is developed during pregnancy. When the mother’s body can’t produce enough insulin, the blood glucose levels go high and can affect the baby in the womb一the good news is that after childbirth, this concern normally disappears.
Prediabetes
When your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough, you can be considered a prediabetes patient. When you have prediabetes, you become vulnerable to developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the future.
4 Key Differences: Diabetes Type 1 & 2
Depending on what type of diabetes you have, you may present different symptoms, causes, management and treatment. The most common types are 1 and 2, and here’s what makes them different from each other:
- Insulin Issue
- Risk Factors Behind
- Sudden or Slow Symptoms
- Treatment Clauses
1. Insulin Issue
When you have diabetes type 1, your body’s immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas, avoiding it from producing insulin. Instead, with diabetes type 2, your body can’t make enough insulin, or can’t make it work properly.
2. Risk Factors Behind
While type 1 diabetes doesn’t have a specific cause, your family medical history can come as a risk factor, as there’s genes linked to this condition. For type 2 diabetes, the list of risk factors goes from age and ethnicity to having unhealthy habits.
3. Sudden or Slow Symptoms
The symptoms of type 1 diabetes appear suddenly, but type 2 diabetes can show up slowly over time. Patients can’t notice the symptoms long after the diagnosis.
4. Treatment Clauses
The treatment for type 1 diabetes mainly consists of insulin injections or pumps, a balanced diet and healthy habits. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes is managed with guidance from medical specialists (like an endocrinologist), who can give patients a tailored diet and exercise plan that keeps them balanced.
Treat Your Diabetes in Church Falls, VA
When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you may feel scared of not knowing how to manage it一but understanding it through the lenses of a specialist can help you. At CareLife, our Chronic Care Management program can help you regain your health through a patient-centered approach to your condition. You can find us at our Church Falls, VA location.
In alignment with our values based on community and tolerance, Medicare and Medicare patients are accepted to perform medical examinations for immigration purposes.