Type 1 Diabetes
- Five to 10 percent of diabetics have type 1 diabetes.
- Usually occurs during childhood or early adulthood
- With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin.
- Cannot be prevented
- Testing your blood sugar multiple times daily is necessary to avoid extremely high or low blood sugar levels.
- Taking insulin, whether it’s through injections or an insulin pump, is usually enough to control type 1 diabetes.
- Symptoms may include rapid breathing, dry skin and mouth, excessive thirst, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fatigue, frequent urination, and blurry vision.
Type 2 Diabetes
- Ninety percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes.
- Usually discovered during adulthood
- Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common among children.
- With type 2 diabetes, one of two things happen: 1) The pancreas doesn’t use insulin correctly or 2) The pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level.
- As type 2 diabetes worsens, the pancreas produces less and less insulin, which is known as insulin deficiency.
- Can be prevented by developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Testing your blood sugar levels regularly is necessary.
- Along with healthy eating and regular exercise, oral medication may be needed to maintain a normal a blood sugar level.
- Symptoms may include excessive thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, areas of darkened skin, unexplained weight loss, and slow-healing sores and cuts
Gestational Diabetes
- Usually occurs among pregnant women
- Usually goes away after the baby is born
- During pregnancy, the hormones produced can lead to insulin resistance and when the pancreas doesn’t. produce enough insulin, the mother develops gestational diabetes.
- Overweight or obese women are at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes.
- Gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases a woman’s chance of developing gestational diabetes.
- Women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes years later.
- Although mothers with gestational diabetes usually give birth to healthy babies, their children are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
- In addition to eating healthy and exercising regularly, checking your blood sugar levels, getting regular medical checkups, and taking diabetes medication and insulin shots are crucial steps in treating gestational diabetes.
- There are usually no symptoms associated with gestational diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes is usually discovered during pregnancy screenings.
Visit the BlackDoctor.org Living with Diabetes center for more articles.