What Are The Types of Diabetes?

There are three types of diabetes that are diagnosed today. They include type 1 diabetes, also known as childhood or juvenile diabetes, type 2 diabetes or adult onset diabetes and gestational diabetes. They are considered different to be different but as you will see, the majority stem from the same basic causes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person is young. The glucose cannot be distributed throughout the body as it should. It will instead collect in the blood. In a normal healthy person the pancreas produces glucose in relation to the amount of food eaten. This keeps the glucose even without experiencing too much or having too little.

When the glucose is not used properly it can cause excess urination due to too much glucose being lost. At the same time it can cause dehydration from a loss of fluids. Other symptoms are rapid weight loss as the sugar is not being absorbed into the body. When the glucose is not being absorbed a condition known as DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) takes place and it breaks down fat cells which can damage your heart, kidneys, nerve cells and your miles of veins and arteries.

Type 2 diabetes is also called adult onset diabetes. It is due a lack of exercise and poor diet. The risks of getting type 2 diabetes increases due to obesity, lack of exercise, eating a high saturated fat diet, eating a high sugar diet, and have high blood pressure.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can also include blindness, erectile dysfunction, heart attack, and kidney disease.

The third type is gestational diabetes and occurs an about 4% of pregnant women. The risks for gestational diabetes include having a family history of diabetes, being overweight before getting pregnant and having gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy. If properly treated a baby can be born healthy. If not properly cared for and treated, gestational diabetes can cause miscarriages and birth defects in the baby. A proper diet and exercise can significantly decrease the risk of getting this type of diabetes during pregnancy.