Facts about the types of Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes and both of them can be debilitating. Here are some facts about the disease and how it affect the body.

To begin, type 1 diabetes is much less common than type 2, and accounts for only five to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Often, with type 1, the body's immune system destroys special cells in the pancreas that manufacture insulin. These cells, called beta cells, are the only places in the body where insulin is produced. Without them, the body lacks the insulin it needs to move glucose out of circulation and control high blood sugar. When you have type 1 diabetes, you must give yourself insulin injections or use an insulin pump.

Type 2 accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases of diabetes. It's also far more complex. The pancreas doesn't completely shut off insulin production in type 2. Instead, the body's use of insulin becomes impaired in any number of ways. Unlike type 1, type 2 develops slowly over time. It's possible that when you finally notice that something's wrong, you will already have had diabetes for many years. Once you have it, you can control it to a remarkable degree and continue living a normal life, but it never goes away. There is no such thing as a "touch" of diabetes. Before you have type 2 diabetes, you have "pre-diabetes." Routine blood sugar testing will help you diagnose pre-diabetes and prevent its progression. Though the signs of diabetes can be subtle at first, they're not impossible to pick up on. The longer diabetes progresses, the more likely symptoms will become obvious.

The hallmarks of uncontrolled diabetes are:

• Excessive thirst
• Increased appetite
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Frequent infections
• Tingling in your hands and feet
• Sexual dysfunction

The main thing to remember is diabetes is controllable. You can still live a healthy, normal life whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.