Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a disease in which your blood glucose — blood sugar — is too high.
Glucose is your body's main source of energy. Your body makes some, and the rest comes from food. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, moves glucose from your blood into your cells to be used for energy. With diabetes, your body can't make insulin, can't use it well, or both — so glucose stays in the blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious health problems, but you can take steps to manage diabetes and help prevent them.
Types
| Type | What happens | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | the body makes little or no insulin, because the immune system destroys the cells that produce it | researchers think genes plus environmental triggers |
| Type 2 — the most common | the body may still make insulin, but cells don't respond well to it and can't take up enough glucose | several factors, including genes and lifestyle — physical inactivity and overweight or obesity |
| Gestational | develops in pregnancy, when the body can't make the extra insulin it needs | researchers think pregnancy's hormonal changes plus genetic and lifestyle factors |
Who's at higher risk
Type 1 can start at any age but most often begins in childhood. A parent or sibling with type 1 may raise your chances.
| Type 2 — higher risk if you… | Gestational — higher risk if you… |
|---|---|
| are overweight or have obesity | are overweight or have obesity |
| are over 35 (children, teens and young adults can get it, but it's more common in middle age and later) | have a family history of diabetes |
| have a family history of diabetes | had gestational diabetes before |
| have prediabetes — glucose above normal but not yet diabetes | have had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more |
| had gestational diabetes | have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) |
| have had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more | are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
| are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino or Pacific Islander | |
| aren't physically active | |
| have conditions such as high blood pressure or PCOS |
Symptoms
- feeling very thirsty or very hungry;
- urinating more often, including at night;
- fatigue; blurry vision;
- numbness or tingling in the feet or hands;
- sores that don't heal;
- losing weight without trying.
They vary by type:
| Type | Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Type 1 | usually come on quickly and can be severe |
| Type 2 | often develop slowly, over several years — sometimes so mildly you don't notice |
| Gestational | often none, or mild. Pregnant women are usually screened between 24 and 28 weeks |
Diagnosis
Your provider uses one or more blood glucose tests, such as the A1C test.
Treatment
Treatment is about managing blood glucose:
- Type 1: daily insulin, by injection or a special pump; some people also need another diabetes medicine that works with insulin.
- Type 2: lifestyle changes — a healthy diet, a healthy weight and regular physical activity — may manage or even reverse it. Some people also need medicines.
- Gestational: a healthy diet and regular exercise may lower glucose; talk with your provider about options. It usually goes away after birth, but leaves a higher risk of type 2 later.
Checking your blood glucose is part of managing any type; ask your provider how and how often.
Prevention
Type 1 can't be prevented. Type 2 may be delayed or prevented — and gestational diabetes may be prevented — with the same habits used to manage diabetes: eating well, staying at a healthy weight and staying active.
Sources
Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Diabetes," National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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