WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIABETES?

 Type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile diabetes) results when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys its own insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes – increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue – usually develop over a short period of time. If type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed and treated, a person can lapse into a life-threatening coma.
 Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

 Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes effectively. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40 but is becoming more prevalent in younger age groups – including children and adolescents. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes – feeling tired or ill, unusual thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow-healing wounds – may develop gradually and may not be as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Some people have no symptoms.
 Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
 A person is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they:

• have a family history of diabetes
• are a member of an ethnic group like African Americans
• are overweight or obese
• are 45 year old or older
• had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes)
• have high blood pressure
• have abnormal cholesterol (lipid) levels
• are not getting enough physical activity
• have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• have blood vessel problems affecting the heart, brain or legs
• have dark, thick and velvety patches of skin around the neck and armpits (This is called acanthosis nigricans, A-can-THO-sis NI-gri-cans.)

 Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing diabetes, mostly type 2, in the next five to 10 years.