According to the American Diabetes Association, Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5% of all cases of diabetes mellitus. There are many types of diabetes including type 1, type 2, Gestational, type 3, and even type 1.5. Type 2, however, is the most common form of diabetes and therefore the most associated when the term diabetes is thrown around. For the purposes of this post, we will be determining the major differences and commonalities between type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Merriam-Webster defines Diabetes Mellitus ( type 1 and 2 diabetes) as
A variable disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors and usually characterized by inadequate secretion or utilization of insulin, by excessive urine production, by excessive amou
nts of sugar in the blood and urine, and by thirst, hunger, and loss of weight
While both type 1 and 2 diabetes have different disease processes, they are both named diabetes due to the symptoms associated with it. Diseases are normally named before underlying causes are determined and are therefore named by their symptoms. The word diabetes is synonymous with the word polyuria meaning that the body passes an abnormal amount of urine. Mellitus is related to sugar as passed urine in untreated diabetics is normally sweet.
Without Diabetes, A normally healthy individual would produce their own insulin and the process of allowing cells to uptake glucose to produce energy would be as described in the graphic below.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder which, According to the JDRF, occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas and causes the body to lack the ability to produce enough insulin,a hormone normally secreted by the pancreas that allows for sugar to move from the bloodstream into cells throughout the body that use the sugar to create energy for themselves. Without insulin, a person will develop large amounts of sugar in their bloodstream, have reduced energy, and without treatment may eventually die from the complications. Researchers are not sure what the cause of type 1 diabetes is but many have cited genetic links.
Type 2 diabetes deals mainly with insulin resistance. The body of a type 2 diabetic produces insulin but is not able to use it properly. This is due to the receptor proteins on the individual cells that allow the hormone to attach to the cell and allow sugar to enter the cell. In early stages of the disease, the pancreas produces more insulin to try to stimulate the receptors. However, overtime, the amount of insulin that is produced by the pancreas is reduced and the total amount of beta cells is also reduced. Over a time, the type 2 diabetic may need insulin injections to compensate for the decreased insulin production as well as drugs such as Metformin which decrease the amount of glucose produced by the liver and increase the uptake of glucose by the cells.
While both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are different pathologically, patients with either disease need to check their blood glucose levels multiple times a day and must also count the number of carbohydrates that they use.
For more information on type 1 & 2 diabetes, visit:
http://jdrf.org/ (Type 1)
Type 1 Diabetes in Review 