JADA'S JELLY BEANS

Type 1 diabetes is all about insulin—a lack of the hormone insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin due to an overactive immune system. So people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults but can also appear in older adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, then your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to handle the glucose in your body. Glucose is a sugar that your body uses for instant energy, but in order for your body to use it properly, you have to have insulin.

Type 1 diabetes develops gradually, but the symptoms may seem to come on suddenly. It can take years for the body to deplete its insulin, but as soon as there’s no more insulin in the body, blood glucose levels rise quickly. Symptopms include extreme weakness and/or tiredness, extreme thirst—dehydration, increased urination, abdominal pain, nausea and/or vomiting, blurry vision, wounds that don’t heal well, irritability or quick mood changes, and changes to (or loss of) menstruation.

It isn’t entirely clear what triggers the development of type 1 diabetes. Researchers do know that genes play a role; there is an inherited susceptibility. However, something must set off the immune system, causing it to turn against itself and leading to the development of type 1 diabetes. To get more details on this, please read this article on the causes of type 1 diabetes.

There are several risk factors that may make it more likely that you’ll develop type 1 diabetes—if you have the genetic marker that makes you susceptible to diabetes. That genetic marker is located on chromosome 6, and it’s an HLA (human leukocyte antigen) complex. Several HLA complexes have been connected to type 1 diabetes, and if you have one or more of those, you may develop type 1. (However, having the necessary HLA complex is not a guarantee that you will develop diabetes; in fact, less than 10% of people with the “right” complex(es) actually develop type 1.)

It’s absolutely necessary for people with type 1 diabetes to take insulin because their bodies don’t produce it. There are several types of insulin, and your diabetes treatment team will work with you to figure out the right dosages. Plus, they’ll walk you through all the details of insulin delivery (giving insulin to your body)

There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes. Despite this fact, you can decrease the chances of diabetic complications by sticking to a diabetes care regimen that includes healthy A1C readings and tight glucose control. At the Joslin Diabetes Center, your healthcare team will help you develop a comprehensive treatment plan that will help you stay as healthy as possible.

You can have type 1 diabetes at any point that your pancreas completely ceases to produce insulin to regulate glucose levels, although most people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are usually children or young adults.

In type 2 diabetes, your body prevents the insulin it does make from working right. Your body may make some insulin but not enough. Most people with diabetes—about 90% to 95%—have type 2. This kind of diabetes usually happens in people who are older, although even younger adults may be diagnosed with it. Type 2 diabetes also usually occurs in people who are overweight. In fact, about 8 out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

Some women may develop diabetes during pregnancy, which is called gestational diabetes. Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes doesn't mean a woman had diabetes before or would continue to have diabetes after giving birth. A woman should follow her health care provider's advice closely during pregnancy.