Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

There are two different types of diabetes:  Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and very young adults. Type 1 Diabetes differs from Type 2 in that a person with Type 1 Diabetes does not produce insulin at all.

Insulin is needed to take sugar from the blood into the cells. Type 1 diabetes used to be called Juvenile Diabetes as it was diagnosed in children at early ages. The symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are very similar. Frequent urination, frequent thirst, excessive hunger are three of the most common symptoms.

A person with Type 1 Diabetes must be on insulin for the rest of his or her life. This does not mean that they cannot lead a long, productive life. In fact, people who are diagnosed young in life become accustomed to the treatment and are generally more compliant than those who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes later in life and who tend to ignore many treatment options.
Read the rest of this entry

If you or someone close to you suffers from diabetes, you know what a life-altering condition it is. Diabetes-the inability of the metabolism to generate the insulin necessary to properly process blood sugar-affects millions of people in the United States alone. If properly diagnosed, diabetes in and by itself is not a fatal condition. However, keeping it under control is essential and that requires proper treatment and constant monitoring. And the more you know about the disease the better your chances of being able to live a normal life with diabetes.

There are three forms of diabetes, two of them chronic and one temporary. The chronic ones are Type 1 diabetes where the body simply does not produce insulin (a hormone that causes cells to store glucose), and Type 2 where tissues and cells are not responding to insulin. Pregnant women may develop so called gestational diabetes where certain hormones cause insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes usually disappears once a baby is born. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes require treatment.
Read the rest of this entry