NDMS

FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

WHAT IS DIABETES?

Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin injections in order to control their blood glucose levels.

One in 10 people with diabetes has type 1 diabetes. It is usually diagnosed in children, adolescents or young adults. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. Although there is currently no cure, there is exciting ongoing research.

Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the body does not properly use the insulin it makes. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. People with diabetes can manage their disease with a combination of lifestyle changes, diabetes pills and/or insulin injections.

The main risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: increasing age, being overweight and having a family history of the disease.

Nine in 10 people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. It occurs most often in people over age 40.

Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs or is first detected during pregnancy. Prompt diagnosis of gestational diabetes is important, as it carries several risks to both mother and baby. Women with gestational diabetes can control their blood glucose with lifestyle changes and diabetes medications (those that are proven to be safe during pregnancy).

Once a woman with gestational diabetes has delivered her baby, her blood glucose levels usually return to normal. However, women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. For this reason, women who have had gestational diabetes should be regularly tested for type 2 diabetes.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults
Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a rare form of autoimmune (type 1) diabetes that occurs in people who are older than the usual age of onset of type 1 diabetes. Patients with LADA – who are often diagnosed between age 25 and 50 – are often misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes due to their age.

Initially, LADA may be controlled through meal planning and other lifestyle changes; ultimately, however, insulin is required to treat the disease.

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