Type One Vs. Type Two Diabetes: Getting to Grip With the Differences
More than 30 million people in the US have diabetes. However, 8.1 million people have not been diagnosed with their condition. A further 84.1 million have prediabetes, a condition that can develop into diabetes if left untreated.
However, not everyone in America experiences diabetes in the same way. Some people have type one diabetes while others develop type two. These have different causes and may require different treatments.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes it’s important for you to understand the differences between type one vs type two diabetes. This will help you to seek the right treatment so you can stay in good health.
In that case, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out everything you need to know about type one and two diabetes.
What is Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?
Both type one and type two diabetes are serious health conditions that affect your body’s blood glucose levels.
Glucose is an essential substance, which your body gets from food, that gives the cells in your body energy to perform their necessary tasks. However, if this glucose isn’t properly stored at can cause serious problems.
Your pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which helps to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. People who have diabetes don’t produce the correct amount of insulin to do this. As a result, their blood sugar levels aren’t regulated.
This can lead to some serious medical complications for people with diabetes. If you don’t have your condition under control you’re at risk of experiencing:
- Loss of vision
- Cardiovascular disease
- Damage to your blood vessels
- Organ damage
- Kidney disease
- Nerve damage
- Neurological complications
- Prolonged healing times for scrapes and cuts
- A coma
If your blood sugar level rises too much you will experience hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar levels drop too low. Both are serious and it’s important to get them under control as soon as possible or you could end up in a coma.
What are the Differences Between Type One vs Type Two Diabetes?
While the outcomes of having type one or type two diabetes might be similar, the conditions actually affect your body in different ways.
One of the key differences between diabetes one and two is the cause of them. Type one diabetes is often genetic and therefore it difficult to prevent. In comparison, type two diabetes often develops over a longer time period and has been linked to particular lifestyle choices.
As a result, the treatment options available are also a difference between diabetes. For all patients with diabetes, treatment involves managing the condition rather than curing it. However, treatment for type one diabetes can be very different from treatment for type two.
What Causes Type 1 Diabetes?
Type one diabetes is often genetic, which means it shows up a lot in children and adolescents. However, some people may only experience it later in life.
Type one diabetes happens when your immune system attacks the beta cells in your pancreas. This stops them from producing insulin completely so your body cannot regulate its blood sugar levels.
Because type one diabetes is genetic, there is no way to prevent yourself from developing it. Some people are more likely to experience it than others. Risk factors for type one diabetes include:
- a family history of type one diabetes
- certain other genetic features that can affect that way your body produces insulin
- cystic fibrosis
- exposure to certain viruses and infections, including mumps and rubella cytomegalovirus
- lack of vitamin D
Type one diabetes affects far fewer people than type two. Only around 5% of the diabetes population has type one.
What Cause Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes develops over time, which is why it often affects older people. It can also start to develop in children and is often a result of lifestyle choices.
If you have type two diabetes, your body still produces insulin. However, it is unable to use this effectively to control the glucose levels in your 