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Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood and helps to transfer the glucose to your cells for energy. If your body isn't producing insulin, this means that the glucose stays in your blood and your blood sugar level can become too high. By contrast, type 2 diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to utilize and store glucose properly thanks to insulin resistance, which is usually connected to being overweight. In cases where there is excess weight, the muscle, liver and fat cells do not process insulin properly and the pancreas simply can't produce enough, causing blood glucose levels to increase. Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) is usually diagnosed in children or teens, and can develop within just a few weeks. Meanwhile, type 2 develops over a period of time and with age, though it is becoming more and more common for children to experience early onset type 2 diabetes due to obesity. Approximately 10 percent of all diabetics are type 1 and require insulin to survive, whereas the overwhelming majority of diabetics are type 2 diabetics who suffer from an impaired glucose metabolism that leads to insulin deficiency. There's also gestational diabetes, which occurs only during pregnancy. Because of the increase in hormone production during pregnancy, the amount of insulin is also increased to control glucose levels in the blood; however, if the body can't meet this demand for more insulin, then diabetes results. Gestational diabetes usually disappears after the birth, but can put the mother at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Get tested if you exhibit the classic triad of diabetic symptoms: increased thirst (polydipsia), increased urinary frequency (polyuria), and increased hunger. You can assess whether you're experiencing an increase in these symptoms based on what is usually "normal" for you. For example, if you usually urinate seven or so times per day, but now urinate a lot more and have to get up in the middle of the night, something is not right and you should consult your primary care physician. Other symptoms include: A compromised immune system (e.g., wounds that don't heal quickly, persistent and recurring infections, such as a foot fungus or athlete's foot, yeast infections in the genitals or mouth, etc.) Tingling or pain in the hands or bottom of the feet (peripheral neuropathy) Lethargy and fatigue Blurred vision Increased appetite Unexplained weight loss Most of of the symptoms and risk factors for diabetes hold true for people age 45 and over; however, they're also being seen more often in obese people under age 40 and especially in obese teens. Major risk factors for developing diabetes include: A family history of diabetes High blood pressure (140/90 or higher) High level of triglycerides (250 mg/dL or higher) Low high-density lipoprotein, or HDL (good cholesterol) level (35 mg/dL or lower) Ethnicity (African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Pacific Islander) Obesity (a body mass index (BMI) higher than 25) A history of gestational diabetes Delivering a baby who weighed more than 9 lbs Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Existing cardiovascular disease The diagnosis of prediabetes Healthy individuals without risk factors should get screened for diabetes at age 45 and then every three years thereafter. For those in high-risk groups, there is no clear-cut consensus on when screening should start, but the American Academy of Endocrinology has offered that a baseline screening should be sought for all those in the high-risk groups listed above. Note that those who belong to higher risk ethnic groups (African Americans, Hispanics, Native American, and Pacific Islanders) should get screened for diabetes at age 30, according to the American Academy of Endocrinology. If you have have been diagnosed with prediabetes, you should be checked for type 2 diabetes everyone one to two years. If you're younger than 45 but are overweight or obese, consider getting screened for prediabetes or diabetes. More than one-third of diabetics go for several years without a diagnosis, so it is best to follow these screening guidelines, as early diagnosis and treatment improves outcomes and decreases the likelihood of developing related health problems and conditions.
Understand the main types of diabetes. Be aware of the symptoms. Know the risk factors. Know the screening guidelines.