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Types of Diabetes

There are primarily three types of diabetes that affect people, these types are;

Type 1 Diabetes: The type 1 diabetes also known as Juvenile diabetes, usually affects people at an early age. People affected with this type of diabetes have functional problems in secretion of hormones known as Insulin. Most of the time, such patients were dependent on outside dosage of insulin. There is no preventive measures available for this type of diabetes, accept for parents who have the disease being careful of noting the symptoms in their children and trying to give them a healthy life. However diet and exercise cannot reverse or prevent the onslaught of type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes: This type of Diabetes is usually adult diabetes. In such cases, the body may or may not make insulin, but either it is insufficient, or the amount of insulin secreted can't be used by the body. It has been noticed that the Type 2 diabetes occurs most in people who are over the age of forty. The treatment for Type 2 diabetes is based on medicines, lifestyle changes and exercises.

Pre-gestational and Gestational diabetes: This type of diabetes is predominantly seen to affect women during pregnancy. Woman may be detected with a diabetic condition during any of the stages of pregnancy. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are not able to produce enough insulin. However this type of diabetes is temporary and fully treatable and also curable. Complications may however arise during pregnancy, if this condition is left untreated. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes have 20 to 50 % chances of developing type II diabetes later on. Gestational Diabetes, can lead to congenital heart disease, excessive birth weight, and fetal malformation too.

Causes of Diabetes

Causes of Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes, is usually seen to have developed due to an autoimmune disorder. This happens mostly when the body's immune system starts rejecting one of its own tissues, assuming it to be a foreign body. In most cases of type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas which actually produce insulin are destroyed, and hence they loose their capability of secreting insulin.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes: It has been observed that the type II diabetes is usually governed by genetics and family history. Outside influences like, obesity, very less of activity, poor diet, and highly stressed lifestyles are often causes responsible for the onslaught of Diabetes type 2.

Causes of Gestational Diabetes: This type of diabetes is mostly as a result of the pregnant status of the woman, when she cannot secrete enough insulin for herself and the developing baby within her.

Some general causes of diabetes may be attributed to: Hereditary factors, age, High blood cholesterol, fatty food, High blood pressure levels, obesity, low levels of exercise and environment factors

Risk Factors of Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most devastating diseases that eventually lead to a number of associated diseases and gradual weakening of the body's immune system. Though controlled diabetes can help you lead a healthy life, uncontrolled and high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period lead to some serious damage. This condition known as hyperglycemia, leads to damages in the blood vessels, retina of the eye (diabetic retinopathy), the kidneys (diabetic nephropathy) and the nerves (diabetic neuropathy).

Apart from this serious damage in the foot or leg in case of even the smallest wounds. Becoming prone to several disease, high triglyceride levels, chronic diarrhea, and an inability to control heart rate and blood pressure are some associated problems of diabetes.

Another serious threat in diabetic patients is from Hypoglycemia; a condition where blood sugar levels become exceedingly low in normally high sugar patients. This is usually due to intake of too much medicine, missing meals, excessive amounts of alcohol and too much exercise. The other risk factors in Diabetes include;

• Obesity - An excessively high body weight increases diabetes risk. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple, widely accepted means of assessing body weight in relation to health for most people aged 20 to 65 (Exceptions include people who are very muscular, athletes, pregnant or nursing.) A BMI greater than 27 indicates a risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and other health problems which include cardiovascular disease, and premature death. As the implications of the BMI are not the same for everyone, you should discuss your BMI with your physician if it is too high (or too low) according to the chart.
• Apple-shaped figure - Individuals who carry most of their weight in the trunk of their bodies (i.e., above the hips) tend to have a higher risk of diabetes than those of similar weight with a pear-shaped body (excess fat carried mainly in the hips and thighs). A waist measurement of more than 100 cm (39.5 inches) in men and 95 cm (37.5 inches) in women suggests an increased risk.
• Age- Age increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. While most diabetes occurs in older persons, it should be noted that the appearance of type 2 diabetes in children is increasingly being reported in the medical literature. In Canada, the problem is particularly apparent among Aboriginal children, mainly girls. In some communities, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal females aged 10 to12 years has been reported to be 3.6%.
• Sedentary lifestyle - Being overweight - another risk factor for Type 2 - can be prevented by regular physical activity. A second, independent benefit of regular physical activity is improved blood sugar control in persons who already have type 2 diabetes.
• Family History - The genetic link for type 2 diabetes is stronger than the genetic link for type 1. Having a blood relative with type 2 diabetes increases the risk. If that person is a first-degree relative (e.g., a parent, sibling or child), the risk is even higher.
• History of Diabetes in Pregnancy - Nearly 40 percent of the women who have diabetes during their pregnancy go on to develop type 2 diabetes later, usually within five to ten years of giving birth. Giving birth to a baby that weighs more than nine pounds (4 kg) is another symptom of gestational diabetes.
• Impaired Glucose Tolerance - Impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose can precede the development of type 2 diabetes. These conditions are determined through blood tests. While persons affected with these problems do not meet the diagnostic criteria for diabetes, their blood sugar control and reaction to sugar loads are considered to be abnormal. This places them at higher risk, not just for the development of type 2 diabetes (an estimated one in ten progress to type 2 diabetes within five years), but also for cardiovascular disease. For this group, preventive strategies -- including lifestyle changes and regular screening for diabetes mellitus -- must be a priority.
• Ethnic Ancestry - Being of Aboriginal, African, Latin American or Asian ethnic ancestry increases the risk of developing of type 2 diabetes. Risk levels for these groups are between two and six times higher than for Canadians of Caucasian origin.
• High Blood Pressure - Up to 60 percent of people with undiagnosed diabetes have high blood pressure.
• High Cholesterol or other fats in the blood - More than 40 percent of people with diabetes have abnormal levels of cholesterol and similar fatty substances that circulate in the blood. These abnormalities appear to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease among persons with diabetes.

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