Do you know there are different types of diabetes, and each type of diabetes has its own symptoms and causes? Every month a lot of people ask us “How do I know if I have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes”, what are the symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes? Today we are going to clear all your doubts about type 1 vs type 2 diabetes, and the symptoms of diabetes. Let’s start with its overview.
Diabetes and Its Various Types:
To clarify, Diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than a defined limit, and consistently high blood sugar leads to serious damage to your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nervous system. Furthermore, Excess sugar in the blood makes it thick and difficult to flow hence nutrient supplies to the major organs get restricted which gradually starts killing some cells there. Blood glucose is one type of source of energy for our body. Our body can produce glucose from stored fat or protein through the liver and from food. Commonly there are three main types of diabetes Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and Gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes only affects pregnant women. Let's start with Type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes:
Let’s start with type 1 diabetes. Type-1 diabetes is an old name and the new name for this is insulin-dependent diabetes, some people call it juvenile diabetes because it is usually diagnosed in children and young people, but it does not mean old age people can’t have it, insulin-dependent diabetes may also appear in old age people. In type-1 diabetes is a chronic condition, in which the pancreas fails to make insulin or makes very little insulin. [Those who don’t know about insulin, Insulin is a hormone that our body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter our body cells to produce energy]. The exact cause of type 1 diabetes in children is still undefined but in studies, it is found that it may be through auto-immune disorder, genetics, or any virus that triggers it.
Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes:
But how do we know if we have type 1 diabetes or not, is there any symptoms that we should be aware of then the answer is Yes, there are symptoms that are usually seen among type1 diabetes patients and that include:
- Increase in your appetite (Feels very hungry).
- A lot of urination.
- Child Losing body weight without even trying to lose it.
- Laziness or tired feeling
- Bedwetting even the person who never wet the bed.
- More thirsty than usual.
Type 2 Diabetes:
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which our body produces enough insulin but cells of our body become resistant to its action, this condition is called insulin resistance. It is the most common form of diabetes. In the world, one out of 10 people has type 2 diabetes. Particularly, it is seen among middle-aged and old age people but nowadays kids might develop type 2 diabetes because of obesity.
Causes of Type 2 Diabetes:
The main cause of type 2 diabetes is lifestyle-related and It is commonly seen among obese people (overweight), unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity are the major contributors to Type 2 diabetes. There could be many more causes like:
- Genetic or family history
- Insulin resistance syndrome
- Medicines that harm betta cells or decompose the insulin may also be the cause of type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes:
The same question arises again: how would you know if it is type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Is there any difference between symptoms of type 1 and type 2? Generally speaking, there is not much difference between symptoms of both of these types of diabetes, but the symptoms of type 1 appear at an early age whereas symptoms of type 2 appear in later years.
Difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes:
Furthermore, there is also one very interesting way to diagnose type-1 diabetes. It can be done using the C-peptide test. It is a type of blood test in which this special type of protein is measured in blood. If the C- peptide value is more than 1ng/ml then it can be considered type-2 diabetes but if it is less than 1ng/ml then it can be considered type-1 diabetes.
Last but not least when insulin is released in the blood at the same time c-peptide is also released in blood hence if the pancreas is making sufficient insulin, then the c-peptide value will be high. So, these were the comparisons of type 1 vs type 2 diabetes. To learn more, you can visit our YouTube channel of diabexy
