What Are The Different Types Of Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a health disorder that refers to an individual who has high glucose or blood sugar levels, which comes as a result when the body is unable to produce enough amounts of insulin, or if the body is not able to properly respond to the insulin that’s being manufactured. Insulin is actually a hormone that’s produced in the pancreas, and enables body cells to properly absorb glucose, and efficiently turn it into energy. This article discusses the different types of diabetes, and that treatment forms are currently available.
What Are The Common Types Of Diabetes?
There are different types of diabetes. The most common are type 1diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes happens as a result of the body’s failure to manufacture insulin. This condition requires the individual to regularly inject insulin. During type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance occurs, where the cells fail to use the insulin produced, and absolute insulin deficiency occurs. Gestational diabetes occurs in women who have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
The other types of diabetes include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects, steroid diabetes, which is induced by high glucocorticoid doses, and monogenic diabetes.
Lifestyle Factors Lead To The Development of Diabetes
Health researchers contend that at number of lifestyle factors lead to the development of diabetes, particularly the type 2 form. Obesity is an alarming epidemic which has greatly contributed to the rise in type 2 diabetes cases today.
The increased levels of childhood obesity for example, has led to a spike in the numbers of children and adolescents who have type 2 diabetes. Health experts and medical researchers stress that people who have high levels of physical activity, have a healthy diet, do not smoke or consume alcohol in moderation, have an 82% less chance of developing diabetes. A decreased consumption of saturated fats and trans fatty acids also leads to a lower diabetes risk factor.
Can Diabetes Be Fully Cured Today?
Ever since insulin became commercially and medically available in 1921, all diabetes types are treatable. However, can it be fully cured? Sad to say, the answer is no. While gastric bypass surgery has been successful in those who have morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes, other methods such as pancreas transplants in individuals who have type 1 diabetes have only offered limited success.
Without getting any proper treatment, diabetes patients can succumb to a number of complications, which include cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, retinal damage. Smoking should also be ceased or reduced among diabetic patients, as well as alcohol consumption. Diabetics also need to maintain a healthy body weight.
According to most recent estimates, around 170 million people worldwide suffer from all types of diabetes. The most common form is type 2 diabetes, and this affects around 95% of the diabetes population in the United States and Canada.

