Different Types of Diabetes

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Diabetes is a serious medical condition characterized by abnormally high blood sugar levels, and which occurs when the body is unable to use the sugar in blood properly. The body’s inability to utilize blood sugar properly is itself mainly caused by inadequate production of a hormone called insulin – which is the hormone responsible for regulation of blood sugar levels. Diabetes could also occur in people whose bodies are producing enough insulin, but have somehow become insensitive to it or are unable to respond to it.

There are three quite distinct types of diabetes, namely, juvenile diabetes, adult onset diabetes and gestational diabetes.

Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes, also referred to as type 1 diabetes, is defined by early onset (it usually manifests in childhood) though it is a chronic condition which continues into adulthood and throughout one’s life. The main cause of type 1 diabetes is inadequate production of insulin, which is, in turn, caused by the loss of the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Juvenile (type 1) diabetes is essentially a hereditary condition, and there is really not much that one can do to keep themselves from acquiring it. In most cases, treatment for type 1 diabetes has to be continued throughout a patient’s life, and generally involves the artificial delivery of insulin into the blood via injections.

Adult Onset Diabetes

Adult onset diabetes – also referred to as type 2 diabetes, is defined by its later onset – previously mostly confined to people older than 40 – but increasingly being observed in younger adults. Adult onset diabetes is mainly caused by the body’s insensitivity to insulin or the body’s outright resistance to the hormone. While there are various opinions in the medical community as to what exactly causes type 2 diabetes, there is consensus that the patient’s lifestyle plays a major role in causing it – with factors like leading a physically inactive lifestyle and overconsumption of fatty ‘junk’ foods being noted in most patients diagnosed this condition.

While type 2 diabetes may be hard to diagnose, as its initial symptoms are usually not as severe as the symptoms in type 1 diabetes, living with the condition for long time can cause other more alarming conditions, including high blood pressure (possibly leading to a stroke), kidney failure, and possibly loss of eyesight. It is therefore imperative that one undertakes blood sugar level tests as a part of their regular medical check-ups. Treatment for type 2 diabetes usually involves lifestyle changes and medication in some cases. Patients may, for example, be required to embark on more (physically) active lifestyles and healthier diets, maybe with reduced carbohydrate consumption.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is generally a temporary condition occurring in about 4% of all expectant mothers and, like adult onset diabetes, is characterized by reduced sensitivity to insulin and/or inadequate levels of the hormone. While gestational diabetes is fully treatable (unlike other types of diabetes) and tends to disappear upon delivery anyway, it has been observed as a precursor to type 2 diabetes, as almost half of all women who have gestational diabetes in one of their pregnancies goes on to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Furthermore, having gestational diabetes endangers the fetus in many ways and usually leads to high weight at birth, increasing the need for a caesarian delivery. Expectant mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes therefore require close clinical supervision.

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