Types of Diabetes and How to Manage Them

Steffy Alen March 3, 2020 3 min read

The word diabetes is a collective term that is used to define any condition that prevents your body from regulating the sugar level in your blood. This is caused by insulin resistance or lack of insulin. Samantha Lindsay, the M.D at Family First Wellness, has taken a professional approach towards helping people with Diabetes in Lutz. Diabetes cannot be treated, but you can live a long and healthy life if it is well managed.

Table of Contents

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes often begins at childhood, which is the basis for its other name, juvenile-onset diabetes. This type of diabetes occurs when the pancreas suffers attacks by antibodies, damaging it to the extent that it does not produce insulin. This is the origin of the disease’s other name, insulin-dependent diabetes.

The other causes of this type of diabetes are genes and problems with the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Having this type of diabetes makes you vulnerable to stroke and heart disease. Management of type 1 diabetes involves the use of syringes, high-pressure jet injectors, and insulin pens with thin needles used to inject insulin under your skin.

Type 2 Diabetes

Compared to type 1, type 2 diabetes is not that severe. However, it can cause significant health complications to the small blood vessels in the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. It often affects adults, hence referred to as adult-onset diabetes.

Due to the high rate of people aged 20 and below becoming obese or overweight, the occurrence of the disease among very young people has increased. If you have type 2 diabetes, you stand high chances of suffering stroke and heart disease. Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance, which is mainly caused by obesity. In this case, the pancreas has to work extra hard to produce more insulin, which is not enough to balance your sugar levels.

To successfully manage type 2 diabetes, ensure that you keep away from junk foods, maintain a healthy weight, and carry out regular physical exercises. Doctors use the A1C test, carried out several times a year, to check how you have been controlling the level of glucose in your blood.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is caused by insulin resistance resulting from pregnancy. According to research, 2 out of 10 women with pregnancies have this type of diabetes. These women are at the risk of suffering type 2 diabetes months or years after giving birth.

Remember, the fetus and the mother are connected via the placenta, where the mother’s blood sugar passes to reach it. If gestational diabetes is not controlled, the child may have unusual weight and problems with breathing at birth. This puts the mother at risk of undergoing surgery during childbirth due to the unusual size of the baby.

To manage this type of diabetes, ensure that you exercise daily, maintain a healthy weight, eat food that has the nutrients required by your body, and control the levels of your blood sugar by taking insulin.