According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), when food is digested it is converted to glucose, and for the glucose to be used as energy by the body's cells, insulin must be involved. When someone has diabetes, the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin or the cells cannot use the insulin. This causes the glucose, or sugar, to build up in the bloodstream and leave the body through the urine. There are three main types of diabetes, but all have the same underlying problem: the inability to properly process glucose.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as "juvenile diabetes" due to the fact that it is most often diagnosed during childhood or adolescence. According to the NIDDK, in type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which leaves the diabetic with little to no insulin. Those who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes must have self-injections of insulin daily in order to live.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are excessive thirst accompanied by frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, hunger and uncharacteristic weight loss.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed later in life, which is why it is also referred to as "adult onset" diabetes. The Mayo Clinic explains that with type 2 diabetes, the body has become resistant to insulin or the pancreas no longer makes enough of it to process glucose properly. Some factors that are believed to be linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes are obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. If type 2 diabetes is not diagnosed and treated effectively, there can be serious consequences, such as heart disease, nerve damage and vision problems. Treatment of type 2 diabetes involves lifestyle changes, such as weight reduction and exercise, and additional insulin if the physician decides it is necessary.
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are the same as those for type 1, except in type 2, the NIDDK also lists the tendency for wounds to heal slowly.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs in the later months of pregnancy. The American Diabetes Association explains that as the baby develops, placental hormones block the ability of insulin to be effective in the mother's body, leading to insulin resistance and the buildup of glucose in the blood. This can have an effect on the developing baby as the glucose in the mother's blood can enter the placenta, giving the baby high sugar levels. Not only can the baby be large, but it can also have blood sugar problems as it ages. The ADA states that treatment for gestational diabetes involves exercise, proper diet and insulin injections if necessary.
There are rarely symptoms for gestational diabetes, which is why most doctors test for it during pregnancy.
