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Knowing Diabetes

Normal

Type 1 Diabetes

The immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells (beta cells) in the pancreas. The cells stop making insulin. This means that the body cannot use glucose for energy. People with Type 1 diabetes need to live with daily insulin injections. Type 1 diabetes can begin at any age. It usually occurs in children or in young adults under age 30.

Type 2 Diabetes

The pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body cannot use insulin properly. The body " resist " the action of insulin. Glucose does not get into the body cells very well. Type 2 diabetes is more common among people over 45, but even children can develop it.

Gestational Diabetes

In certain women, the hormonal changes of pregnancy demand more insulin than the body can make. After the birth of the baby, blood glucose levels return to normal in most women. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Another Specific Types

Conditions in which the underlying defect or disease process is specially defined, and could be due to other diseases or drug use.

What is Diabetes?

Having diabetes means your body doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone made by a gland near your stomach called the pancreas. Your body uses insulin to carry sugar from your bloodstream to your cells. Sugar is the fuel your body needs for all your activities - whether it's breathing, reading, walking or running. Your body changes the food you eat into a sugar called glucose.

When you have diabetes, sugar isn't carried properly to your cells so too much sugar stays in your bloodstream. This is called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. Left untreated, high blood sugar can cause a lot of damage to your body.

Learn more about Gestational Diabetes.

Source: American Diabetes Association

Learn more on gestational diabetes

Click link to http://www.bayerdiabetes.com/us/diabetesinformation/diabeteseducation