Do You Know: Diabetes Types and Treatments
Different kinds of diabetes can occur, and how people control the state depends on the type. Not all forms of diabetes stem from a person being heavy or guiding a static lifestyle. Some are present from childhood.
The most common types of diabetes include type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, which we cover in more detail low. Less joint types of diabetes include monogenic diabetes and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes.
Also known as young diabetes, type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not yield insulin. Insulin is a hormone reliable for breaking down the sugar in the blood for use throughout the body. A person living with type 1 diabetes may be a to receive a diagnosis during childhood.
People living with type 1 diabetes need to administer insulin on a regular basis. Individuals may do this with injections or an insulin pump.
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes. Once a person receives their diagnosis, they will need to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels, administer insulin, and make some lifestyle changes to help manage the condition.
Successfully managing blood sugar levels can help people living with type 1 diabetes avoid serious complications. Some common complications include:
- ketoacidosis
- nerve damage
- issues with the eyes
- increased risk of skin infection
- issues with the kidneys
- cardiovascular disease
- foot problems, including numbness
- high blood pressure
- stroke
Type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes do not make or use insulin effectively. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)Trusted Source, this is the most common type of diabetes, and it has strong links with obesity.
A person living with type 2 diabetes may or may not need insulin. In many cases, medication along with changes in exercise and diet can help manage the condition.
Anyone, including children and adults, can develop type 2 diabetes. The most common risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
- age 45 or older
- overweight
- family history
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy when an individual becomes less sensitive to insulin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2–10%Trusted Source of pregnancies, each year result in gestational diabetes. Individuals who are overweight going into their pregnancy have an elevated risk of developing the condition.
The CDC adds that around 50% of people with gestational diabetes will later develop type 2 diabetes.
During pregnancy, individuals can take steps to manage the condition. These include:
- staying active
- monitoring the growth and development of the fetus
- adjusting their diet
- monitoring blood sugar levels
Gestational diabetes can increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy. It can also cause:
- premature birth
- increased birth weight
- blood sugar issues with the newborn, which typically clear up within a few days
- increased risk of the baby developing type 2 diabetes later in life
Prediabetes
Prediabetes, or marginal diabetes, arises when a person’s blood sugar levels are boosted but not enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. For a doctor to diagnose prediabetes, a person must encounter the ensuing Quote criteria:
- glucose tolerance levels of 140–199 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl)
- an A1C test result of 5.7–6.4%
- fasting blood sugar levels between 100–125 mg/dl
Individuals living with prediabetes have a taller risk of generating type 2 diabetes, but they do not usually encounter the signs of full diabetes.
The risk facets for a person growing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are parallel. They include:
- standing heavy
- a family history of diabetes
- having a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level lower than 40 mg/dl or 50 mg/dl
- a history of high blood pressure
- having gestational diabetes or giving birth to a child with a birth weight of more than 9 pounds
- a history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- being of African-American, Native American, Latin American, or Asian-Pacific Islander descent
- being more than 45 years of age
- having a passive lifestyle
Prevention
A person cannot avert type 1 diabetes.
Yet, people can take some stages to help avert type 2 diabetes. Some ways to help prevent type 2 diabetes comprise:
- holding a mild poundage
- eating a balanced diet low in added sugars, saturated fats, and processed foods
- exercising regularly
To reduce the risk of growing gestational diabetes, an individual should maintain a moderate weight before evolving expectantly.
While these steps can help, it is important to note that people may still develop either type 2 or gestational diabetes.
How insulin problems develop
Medics do not know the exact reasons for type 1 diabetes. Yet, insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, has clearer causes.
Insulin lets glucose from individual food access the cells in the body to provide energy. Insulin resistance is usually a result of the following cycle:
- A person has genes or an environment that make it more likely for them to be unable to produce enough insulin to cover how much glucose, or sugar, they eat.
- The body tries to make extra insulin to process the excess blood sugar.
- The pancreas cannot keep up with the increased demands, and the excess blood sugar starts to circulate in the blood, causing damage.
- Over time, insulin becomes less effective at introducing glucose to cells, and blood sugar levels continue to rise.
Exercise and diet tips
If a doctor interprets unique with diabetes, they will often rely upon Source instructions yielding lifestyle adaptations to guard weight proficiency and overall health.
A doctor may guide a person living with diabetes or prediabetes to a nutritionist. A specialist can help people living with diabetes guide a functional, congruous lifestyle and handle the shape.
Steps a person can take to stay healthy with diabetes include:
- Eating a diet high in fresh, nutritious foods, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and healthy fat sources, such as nuts.
- Avoid high-sugar foods that provide empty calories or calories that do not have other nutritional benefits, such as sweetened sodas, fried foods, and high-sugar desserts.
- Refraining from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or keeping intake to less than one drink a day for females or two drinks a day for males.
- Engaging in at least 30 minutes of exercise per day on at least 5 days of the week, such as walking, aerobics, riding a bike, or swimming.
- Recognizing signs of low blood sugar when exercising, including dizziness, confusion, weakness, and profuse sweating.
Some people can also take steps to reduce their body mass index (BMI) if needed, which can help those with type 2 diabetes manage the condition without medication.
Using insulin
All people living with type 1 diabetes and some people living with type 2 diabetes need to administer insulin to keep their blood sugar levels from becoming too high.
Various types of insulin are available, and most are grouped by how long their effect lasts. There are rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting, long-acting, and mixed insulin.
Some people will use long-acting insulin to maintain consistently low blood sugar levels. Others may use short-acting insulin or a combination of insulin types. Whatever the type, a person will usually check their blood sugar levels to determine how much insulin they need.
To check blood sugar levels, a person can use a blood glucose monitor, which involves pricking their skin, or a combination of a continuous blood glucose monitor (CGM) and skin pricks.
A CGM takes blood sugar readings regularly throughout the day. They can help a person make any adjustments to their medications.
Self-monitoring is the only way a person can find out their blood sugar levels. Assuming the level from any physical symptoms that occur may be dangerous unless a person suspects extremely low sugar and thinks they need a rapid dose of glucose.
How much is too much?
Absurd insulin can push hypoglycemia, or deeply low blood sugar, and conduct to nausea, perspiring, and bouncing.
It is essential that people measure insulin carefully, adjust their medications based on their needs, and eat a consistent diet that helps to balance blood sugar levels as much as possible.
Tips
Individuals preventing their blood sugar levels with a blood glucose meter will also use a device called a lancet to tingle their fingers. While the opinion of tautening blood might cause despair for some people, spiking the skin to obtain a blood sampling should be a temperate, no-frills approach. Many meters require only a teardrop-sized sample of blood.
A person may also find the ensuing tips useful:
- Using their fingertips to obtain a blood sample. While some meters allow selections from other test zones, such as the thighs and upper arms, the fingertips or outer palms yield more correct results.
- Cleaning their skin with gushy, warm water to evade food testimony penetrating the device and warping the task.
- Choosing a small, thin lancet for greatest mitigation.
- Adjusting the lancet’s deepness vicinities for mitigation.
- Handling blood from the side of their finger, as compels less nuisance. Using the medium finger, ring finger, and little finger may be more relaxing.
- Teasing blood to the surface in a “milking” motion rather than identifying arm-twisting at the lancing site.
- Following local regulations for disposing of sharp objects, including lancets.
Summary
Diabetes is a life-changing state that instructs prudent blood sugar surveillance and a healthy lifestyle for a person to oversee it safely. There are several distinct types of diabetes.
Type 1 occurs when the body does not deliver insulin. Type 2 generates when insulin exhibition or persuasion can no lengthy meet the body’s lacks.
Pivoting on the type of diabetes, individual may need to distribute insulin and take other prescriptions to handle their state and enhance glucose absorption. If a person is living with prediabetes, they can lessen the hazard of growing type 2 diabetes via traditional activity and a congruous diet.
The intricacies of diabetes can be bitter, including kidney collapse and stroke, so working the requirement is robust.
Anyone who imagines they may be living with diabetes should reach their physician.
