Diabetes

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes may also be known by a variety of other names, including:

• diabetes mellitus
• Type I diabetes
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
• juvenile diabetes
• brittle diabetes
• sugar diabetes

There are two forms of type 1 diabetes:

• idiopathic type 1
  refers to rare forms of the disease with no known cause.
• immune-mediated diabetes
  an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system destroys, or attempts to destroy, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

Immune-mediated diabetes is the most common form of type 1 diabetes, and the one generally referred to as type 1 diabetes. The information on this page refers to this form of type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in the US. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but can start at any age.

What causes type 1 diabetes?

The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it is believed that people inherit a tendency to develop diabetes, and that viruses may be involved.

This auto-immune disease results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to enter the cells of the body to provide fuel. This is the result of an autoimmune process in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.

When glucose cannot enter the cells, it builds up in the blood and the body's cells literally starve to death. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections and regularly monitor their blood sugar levels.

What are the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes?

The following are the most common symptoms for type 1 diabetes, however, each individual may experience symptoms differently.

Type 1 diabetes often appears suddenly, and signs and symptoms may include:

• high levels of sugar in the blood when tested
• high levels of sugar in the urine when tested
• unusual thirst
• frequent urination
• extreme hunger but loss of weight
• blurred vision
• nausea and vomiting
• extreme weakness and tiredness
• irritability and mood changes

In children, symptoms may be similar to those of having the flu.

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Consult your physician for a diagnosis.

What complications may be associated with type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes can cause different problems, but there are three key complications:

• Hypoglycemia
  (low blood sugar; sometimes called an insulin reaction) occurs when blood sugar drops too low.
• Hyperglycemia
  (high blood sugar) occurs when blood sugar is too high, and can be a sign that diabetes is not well controlled.
• Ketoacidosis
  (diabetic coma) is loss of consciousness due to untreated or under-treated diabetes.

Treatment for type 1 diabetes:

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician(s) based on:

• your age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the disease
• your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• expectations for the course of the disease
• your opinion or preference

People with type 1 diabetes must have daily injections of insulin to keep the blood sugar level within normal ranges. Other parts of the treatment protocol may include:

• appropriate foods to manage blood sugar level
• exercise to lower and help the body use blood sugar
• regular blood testing for blood-sugar levels
• regular urine testing for ketone levels

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough, or to properly use, insulin. It used to be called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).

Without enough insulin, the body cannot move blood sugar into the cells. It is a chronic disease that has no known cure. It is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for 90-95 percent of diabetes cases.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is unknown. However, there does appear to be a genetic factor which causes it to run in families. And, although a person can inherit a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes, it usually takes another factor, such as obesity, to bring on the disease.

Prevention or delay of onset of type 2 diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes may be prevented or delayed by following a program to eliminate or reduce risk factors particularly losing weight and increasing exercise. Information gathered by the Diabetes Prevention Program, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association, continues to study this possibility.

What are the signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

The following are the most common symptoms for type 2 diabetes, however, each individual may experience symptoms differently.

Diabetes may have a variety of signs and symptoms, including:

• frequent infections that are not easily healed
• frequent urination
• extreme hunger but loss of weight
• unusual thirst
• blurred vision
• extreme weakness and tiredness
• irritability and mood changes
• nausea and vomiting
• high levels of sugar in the blood when tested
• high levels of sugar in the urine when tested
• dry, itchy skin
• tingling or loss of feeling in the hands or feet

Some people who have type 2 diabetes exhibit no symptoms. Symptoms may be mild and almost unnoticeable, or easy to confuse with signs of aging. Half of all Americans who have diabetes do not know it.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Consult your physician for a diagnosis.

What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

• age - people over the age of 45 are at higher risk
• family history of diabetes
• being overweight
• not exercising regularly
• being a member of certain racial and ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans
• history of gestational diabetes, or giving birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
• a low level HDL (high density lipoprotein -- the "good cholesterol")
• a high triglyceride level

Treatment for type 2 diabetes:

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician(s) based on:

• your age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the disease
• your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• expectations for the course of the disease
• your opinion or preference

The goal of treatment is to keep blood-sugar levels as close to normal as possible. Emphasis is on control of blood sugar (glucose) by monitoring the levels, regular physical activity, meal planning, and routine health care. Treatment of diabetes is an ongoing process of management and education that includes not only the person with diabetes, but also health care professionals and family members.

Often type 2 diabetes can be controlled through losing weight, improved nutrition, and exercise alone, but sometimes these are not enough and either oral medications and/or insulin must be used. Treatment often includes:

• proper diet
• weight control
• an appropriate exercise program
• proper hygiene
• in some cases, insulin replacement therapy (under the direction of a physician)

Untreated or inappropriately-treated diabetes can cause problems with the kidneys, legs, feet, eyes, heart, nerves, and blood flow, which could lead to kidney failure, gangrene, amputation, blindness, or stroke. For these reasons, it is important to be on a strict treatment plan.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which the glucose level is elevated and other diabetic symptoms appear during pregnancy in a woman who has not previously been diagnosed with diabetes. All diabetic symptoms disappear following delivery.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by blocking effects of other hormones on the insulin that is produced, a condition referred to as insulin resistance.

Approximately 3 to 5 percent of all pregnant women in the United States are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

What causes gestational diabetes?

Although the cause of gestational diabetes is not known, there are some theories as to why the condition occurs.

The placenta supplies a growing fetus with nutrients and water, as well as produces a variety of hormones to maintain the pregnancy. Some of these hormones (estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen) can have a blocking effect on insulin. This is called contra-insulin effect, which usually begins about 20 to 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

As the placenta grows, more of these hormones are produced, and insulin resistance becomes greater. Normally, the pancreas is able to make additional insulin to overcome insulin resistance, but when the production of insulin is not enough to overcome the effect of the placental hormones, gestational diabetes results.

What are the risks factors associated with gestational diabetes?

Although any woman might develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, some of the factors that may increase risk are:

• obesity
• family history of diabetes
• having given birth previously to a very large infant, a still birth, or a child with a birth defect
• having too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios)
• women who are older than 25 are at greater risk than younger women

Although increased glucose in the urine is often included in the list of risk factors, it is not believed to be a reliable indicator for gestational diabetes.

How is gestational diabetes diagnosed?

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed with a glucose screening test, which involves drinking a glucose drink followed by measurement of glucose levels after a one-hour interval.

If this test shows a blood sugar level of greater than 140 mg/dl, another test will be performed after a few days of following a special diet. The second test also involves drinking a glucose drink, and results are measured at three-hour intervals.

If results of the second test are in the abnormal range, gestational diabetes is diagnosed.

Treatment for gestational diabetes:

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician(s) based on:

• your age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the disease
• your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• expectations for the course of the disease
• your opinion or preference

Treatment for gestational diabetes focuses on keeping blood glucose levels in the normal range. Treatment may include:

• special diet
• exercise
• daily blood glucose monitoring
• insulin injections

Possible complications for the baby:

Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes generally does not cause birth defects. Birth defects usually originate sometime during the first trimester (before the 13th week) of pregnancy. But, the insulin resistance from the contra-insulin hormones produced by the placenta does not usually occur until approximately the 24th week. Women with gestational diabetes generally have normal blood sugar levels during the critical first trimester.

The complications of gestational diabetes are usually manageable and preventable. The key to prevention is careful control of blood sugar levels just as soon as the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made.

Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes are vulnerable to several chemical imbalances, such as low serum calcium and low serum magnesium levels, but in general, there are two major problems of gestational diabetes: macrosomia and hypoglycemia.

• Macrosomia
  refers to a baby that is considerably larger than normal. All of the nutrients the fetus receives come directly from the mother's blood. If the maternal blood has too much glucose, the pancreas of the fetus senses the high glucose levels and produces more insulin in an attempt to use this glucose. The fetus converts the extra glucose to fat. Even when the mother has gestational diabetes, the fetus is able to produce all the insulin it needs. The combination of high blood glucose levels from the mother and high insulin levels in the fetus results in large deposits of fat which causes the fetus to grow excessively large.
• Hypoglycemia
  refers to low blood sugar in the baby immediately after delivery. This problem occurs if the mother's blood sugar levels have been consistently high causing the fetus to have a high level of insulin in its circulation. After delivery, the baby continues to have a high insulin level, but it no longer has the high level of sugar from its mother, resulting in the newborn's blood sugar level becoming very low. The baby's blood sugar level is checked after birth, and if the level is too low, it may be necessary to give the baby glucose intravenously.