Two Sides to Diabetes

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Many people know that there is more than one type of diabetes, but what less people are aware of are the differences. The most common forms are type 1 and type 2 diabetes, although there are other forms as well. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form and the one that people often think of when they hear the word diabetes. Type 1 might affect a much smaller portion of the population but it is important to understand as well.

Type 1:    

Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children and young adults and was formerly called juvenile diabetes, but can develop at any age. An individual with type 1 is typically skinny because the problem stems from the pancreas, which normally secretes insulin, a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body.1 However, in the case of a type 1 diabetic, the body has attacked the cells in the pancreas from producing the insulin it needs.2 An individual with type 1 is dependent on some type of insulin therapy, like insulin injections, because they have no other way of getting the insulin throughout the body.          

Type 2:

Type 2 may be what is most often associated with the word diabetes, but understanding where it stems from is important as well. Individuals with type 2 tend to be heavier set and more often develops after the age of 35, but is becoming more and more common in children.2 In this form of diabetes, the problem is not in the pancreas creating insulin but from an insulin resistance in the body. This means that the pancreas produces the insulin necessary but the body does not use it properly. The pancreas attempts to make extra in the beginning to help make up for the lack of insulin, but eventually cannot keep up with the demands.1 Another important thing to note is the fact that type 2 is associated with heart disease and often runs in multiple family generations.2

It is important to understand the factors behind type 1 and type 2 diabetes in order to recognize how they affect individuals differently. There are other type of diabetes but these are the most common forms in the population.

1American Diabetes Association. (2016). Diabetes Basics. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/

2National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2014). Types of Diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/types