Diabetes: The difference between Types 1 and 2

Diabetes is a serious medical condition that gives rise to many other complications such as high blood sugar, blood pressure, deteriorated eyesight, and much more. Our body cells need glucose to function properly as it is one of the major sources of energy. However, it needs a vehicle to enter into our body cells and insulin is that vehicle. When you suffer from diabetes, your body is not capable of producing enough insulin and sometimes it even fails to respond to insulin. This differentiates diabetes into two types of’ viz. diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2.

In diabetes type 1, the patients are not able to produce enough or any insulin in their body. Therefore, they either need tablets or injections of insulin to control the blood sugar level.

In diabetes type 2, the patient’s body is not capable to respond to the insulin even if the body produces it. This is a more serious issue and has a drastic effect on blood sugar levels and other organs of the body.

Now, let us see some of the common symptoms of diabetes:

• Feeling the urge to pee regularly
• Drinking a lot of water and always feeling thirsty
• Feeling hungry even after eating enough food
• Deteriorated eyesight
• The injuries or cuts do not heal quickly and completely

If you too are experiencing a few or all of these symptoms then you must get your diabetes checked immediately. Nowadays, digital checking machines are available that provide the blood sugar level results in seconds. These machines are available at reasonable costs and therefore there is no need to consult a doctor for primary blood sugar detection.

Now, let us look at the causes of Diabetes Type 1 and 2

Diabetes Type 1 is usually a result of low immunity which reduces your body’s natural ability to fight with viruses and diseases. Usually, the immune system of a patient suffering from diabetes type 1 destroys healthy cells by considering them as bacteria or invader cells. Therefore, the insulin-producing cells are also destroyed in the process and body stops creating insulin. Usually, the beta cells located in your pancreas are responsible for producing insulin and once they get destroyed your body no longer produces its insulin.

People suffering from diabetes type 2 can produce insulin but their body fails to use or respond to insulin. The body resists to the insulin and this is usually due to lack of exercise, excess weight, unhealthy lifestyle or any other health reason. Some genetic factors also might be responsible for this insulin resistance. In diabetes 2, the pancreas ends up creating an excess of insulin to respond to the resistance and since the body is unable to utilize this insulin, a lot of glucose gets discharged in the bloodstream.

Thus we can say that diabetes 1 cannot be avoided at it depends on the environment, geography, and even age of the patient at times whereas diabetes 2 is the result of a poor and unhealthy lifestyle which makes it preventable.