Understanding the Different Types of Diabetes

All forms of diabetes result in high blood sugar levels, but different forms have different causes and different treatments, so it’s important to know the distinction between them.

At Primecare Family Practice, board-certified family practitioners Maryline Ongangi, APRN, FNP-C and Lewis Nyantika, APRN, FNP-C, and our staff offer on-site screenings at our Arlington, Texas, office to diagnose diabetes in our patients and to treat them if they have the condition. Here’s what you need to know about this all-too-common disease.

What is glucose?

Glucose is a sugar, and it’s the body’s main energy currency. When you eat, your digestive system breaks down the food into its component parts, one of which is glucose, a simple sugar. In response, your pancreas releases the hormone insulin to help move the glucose from your bloodstream into the cells, where it’s converted into usable energy.

The problem with diabetes is that, for any number of reasons, glucose remains in the bloodstream, where it can wreak havoc on bodily systems, causing problems from non-healing leg ulcers to blindness.

What are the different types of diabetes?

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. There’s also a prediabetes stage that precedes type 2 diabetes and is related to unhealthy lifestyle factors.

Type 1

Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, destroying them. The beta cells are responsible for producing insulin. This form affects about 10% of the diabetic population.

Because their bodies don’t produce insulin, people with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin injections several times a day to remove glucose from the bloodstream and transport it into the cells. This is a life-long condition.

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes is also known as insulin-resistant diabetes and used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Here, the hormone may or may not be produced in sufficient quantities to meet the body’s needs, but, in addition, the cells become resistant to its effects. As a result, glucose remains in the bloodstream, causing damage.

Type 2 diabetes is usually brought on by an unhealthy diet containing a lot of highly processed, high-carbohydrate, and high-saturated fat foods; lack of exercise; and excess fat, especially around the waist and organs (visceral fat), making it the most preventable form of diabetes. Almost 90% of diabetics, which translates into 37 million Americans, have this form.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes is expected to rise, as more young people are living with obesity and a poor diet.

Type 2 diabetes management includes lifestyle changes, like more exercise and better dietary choices; regular blood sugar monitoring; and sometimes medication.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes (GD) is a type of diabetes that develops only during pregnancy, usually between 24-28 weeks, when blood sugar levels get too high (hyperglycemia). It occurs because the hormones from the placenta block your ability to make or use insulin. Too much glucose in the blood can lead to pregnancy complications.

Developing GD doesn’t mean you had diabetes before you got pregnant. The condition appears because of the pregnancy.

Fortunately, doctors have a good grasp on the condition, and you're usually able to manage it with small lifestyle and dietary changes. Most women don’t experience serious complications from it and deliver healthy babies. However, having GD puts you at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes is the state when you have elevated blood sugar levels, but they’re not high enough yet to be considered type 2 diabetes.

The condition is extremely common, with 84 million adults in the US affected. More than 1 in 3 adults under age 65 and half of people over 65 live with prediabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the good news is that it’s possible to reverse prediabetes with healthy lifestyle changes.

Have you had your blood sugar levels checked recently? If not, Primecare Family Practice can help. To schedule a screening and consultation, call our office at 817-873-3710, or book online with us today.