The 4 Different Types of Diabetes

There are 4 main types of diabetes:



Type 1 Diabetes - or some people refer to it as "juvenile" diabetes. It is mostly diagnosed when kids are in their teens or younger. 5-10% of the diabetic population has Type 1 Diabetes. It is diagnosed when the pancreas fails to produce any insulin at all, or too little of an amount to do the body any good. Insulin is the prescription but not the cure. Without the insulin one cannot survive after being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.


Type 2 Diabetes - 90-95% of all people with diabetes are Type 2 so most of the diabetic population have Type 2 diabetes. Most individuals that are diagnosed are overweight, over the age of 40 and most of the time inactive. Not all but most diagnosed with type 2 fit into this catagory. The pancreas produces insulin but the body does not utilize the insulin properly - cells won't respond to the insulin. Althought diet and exercise are prescribed and can actually reverse the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, most individuals will end up taking a pill form of medication to control their type 2 diabetes. In my opinion it is also not the practice of doctors to educate the type 2 diabetic patient but to medicate the patient due to the doctors time contraints and also knowing that diet and exercise is a tougher pill to swallow than an actual pill.



Pre-Diabetes - Also known as borderline diabetes. This is diagnosed when patients are showing signs of increased levels of blood sugar and are beginning to have problems in keeping their blood sugars at a normal range. Pre-diabetes affects over 40 million people, which is a huge number of people. Pre-diabetes will turn into Type 2 Diabetes in most cases if left untreated. Those with pre-diabetes are urged to alter their diets and begin to get on a regular exercise routine.



Gestational Diabetes - Approximately 2-7% of pregnant women will be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. It is caused by the pancreas not being able to keep up in delivering insulin to control the glucose level. Gestational Diabetes will go away after pregnancy in the majority of the cases, but there is an increased risk of both mother and baby becoming diabetic later on in life. Insulin resistance usually starts around the 26th week of pregnancy, which is when doctors will test pregnant women for Gstational Diabetes.

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