Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes – What’s The Difference?

diabetes

Diabetes Overview 

Diabetes is a nasty disease that affects the efficiency of the human body’s ability to regulate blood sugar also known as glucose. The two types of diabetes that we are most familiar with are type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin naturally whatsoever. The absence of their bodies’ ability to produce insulin directly affects its ability to regulate glucose levels. When glucose levels are not managed properly, serious health conditions may follow that could be life threatening.

Type 2 diabetics produce insulin, but not in the appropriate amounts. Oftentimes type 2 diabetes strikes a person later in life in conjunction with their acquired lifestyle rather than early in life like type 1 diabetes.

How Common Is It?

Type 2 diabetes is much more common that type 1. According to the 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report, there are 30.3 million people in the United States with diabetes. That’s nearly 10% of the human population. Type 2 diabetes makes up 90-95% of the 30.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes.

The percentage of people living with diabetes increases with age, especially in type 2 cases. 25.2 % of people 65 and older have been or will be diagnosed with diabetes. America’s fast-paced lifestyles and fast-food habits are not helping with lowering diabetes statistics.

Symptoms Of Diabetes

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics often complain of similar symptoms when their glucose levels are out of whack. Some of those symptoms include the following:

  • Frequent Urination
  • Experiencing the need to drink excessive amounts of fluids (water)
  • Unusual Hunger (often at odd times of the day or night)
  • Extreme Fatigue
  • Blurred Vision
  • Mood Swings

Although many of the symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are similar, they oftentimes show themselves in completely different ways, especially in children. For example, a person living with type 2 diabetes may have had the disease since childhood before being diagnosed by a health care professional during testing later in life.

On the other hand, a child with type 1 diabetes may experience quick, onset symptoms. Type 1 diabetes, often rears its ugly head during childhood and adolescence, and its often been referred to as juvenile diabetes. Many people living with type 1 diabetes will tell you that they have had their condition for most of their life.

Causes Of Type 1

We are born with an immune system. Some of us are blessed enough to have a great immune system, while others of us are not. Your immune system is what’s responsible for keeping you healthy throughout the year. It’s also the same part of your body that viruses and bacteria attack that end up making you sick.

Patients with type 1 diabetes have an immune system that gets confused between healthy cells and unhealthy cells or foreign invaders that they need to attack and destroy. During this whole cell mixup, the immune system kills the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Once these essential beta cells are destroyed, the body is unable to produce insulin on it’s own.

Causes Of Type 2

Patients with type 2 diabetes are what we call, insulin resistant. Their body still produces insulin, but most of the time its not able to use it effectively. Research suggests that sedentary lifestyles, excess weight, and unhealthy eating habits all play a role in type 2 diabetes development and progression.

You May Be At Risk For Developing Type 2 If You:

  • Have already tested for high blood sugar or prediabetes at your doctor.
  • Are currently overweight or obese.
  • Have a family member with type 2 diabetes.
  • Are over 40.
  • Live a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Had gestational diabetes during pregnancies
  • Have polycystic ovarian syndrome.

It May Be Possible To Lower Your Risk Of Developing Type 2 Through Lifestyle Changes Like:

  • Increasing physical activity levels and maintain a healthy weight and BMI.
  • Focusing on eating a healthy, well-balanced diet low in excess sugars and carbs.

Type 1 & Type 2 Diagnoses

The primary test for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is known as the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. An A1C test is a blood test that determines the average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Your doctor may draw your blood or give you a small finger prick.

The higher your blood sugar levels have been over the past few months, the higher your A1C level will be. An A1C level of 6.5 or higher indicates diabetes.

Type 1 & Type 2 Treatment Options  

Managing diabetes is not an easy feat, however, medical advancements in the recent years have helped tremendously. People with type 1 diabetes aren’t producing insulin naturally, so it must be regularly injected into their bodies in order for them to live a healthy life. Most patients give themselves shots every day before or after meals or at set times of the day based on their unique body chemistry. Another popular method of receiving insulin is through an insulin pump which constantly releases insulin in the body as needed throughout the day.

Patients with type 1 diabetes, often called juvenile diabetes, should monitor their blood sugar carefully and frequently. Oftentimes it can be difficult for children with type 1 diabetes to manage their blood sugar spikes and drops throughout the day. Moreover, if levels are not carefully managed, it could be life threatening. The worst part is that you cannot prevent type 1 diabetes. However, the recent treatment options available make living with type 1 diabetes easier.

Managing type 2 diabetes is oftentimes much easier than managing type 1. For example, symptoms of the disease can be managed by lifestyle changes and eating habits as we mentioned above. If changes that you make naturally don’t begin to fix the problem, your doctor may prescribe medication to help your body regulate glucose and insulin levels more efficiently.

If you live in or near Cleveland, TN, our team of healthcare professionals at Ocoee Pediatrics would love to serve you and your family. Dealing with diabetes doesn’t have to be scary or confusing. We are here to help! Give us a call today or schedule an appointment online here.