Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes, also called diabetes mellitus, is a condition in which your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are too high. Glucose is your body's main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but it also comes from the food you eat. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas. Insulin helps move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells, where it can be used for energy.

If you have diabetes, your body cannot make insulin, cannot use insulin as well as it should, or both. Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems — including heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and eye problems. But you can take steps to manage your diabetes and try to prevent these problems.

What are the types of diabetes?

There are different types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes. Your body makes little or no insulin because your immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce it.
• Type 2 diabetes. This is the most common form. Your body may still make insulin, but your cells don't respond to it well and can't take up enough glucose from your blood.
• Gestational diabetes. This develops during pregnancy, when your body can't make the extra insulin it needs.

What causes diabetes?

Different types of diabetes have different causes:

• Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by a mix of genes and environmental factors that trigger an immune response.
• Type 2 diabetes is caused by several factors, including lifestyle and genes. Lifestyle factors include being physically inactive and being overweight or having obesity.
• Gestational diabetes is thought to be caused by hormonal changes of pregnancy along with genetic and lifestyle factors.

Who is more likely to develop diabetes?

You are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you are overweight, physically inactive, over 35, or have a family history of diabetes. A history of gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy also raises your risk. People of South Asian origin — including Indians — tend to develop type 2 diabetes at a lower body weight than people of European origin, so the usual BMI cutoffs for risk are lower.

You can develop type 1 diabetes at any age, though it most often starts in childhood. Having a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes raises your chance of developing it.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes can include:

• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry
• Urinating more often, including at night
• Tiredness
• Blurry vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Sores that do not heal
• Losing weight without trying

Symptoms can vary depending on which type you have:

• Type 1 diabetes symptoms usually come on quickly and can be severe.
• Type 2 diabetes symptoms often develop slowly over years and can be so mild you might not notice them.
• Gestational diabetes often has no symptoms. During pregnancy, most women are screened for it between 24 and 28 weeks.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

To find out if you have diabetes, a doctor will use one or more blood tests that measure glucose — including fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and HbA1c tests.

What are the treatments for diabetes?

Treatment for diabetes is about managing your blood glucose:

• If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need daily insulin — either by injection or through an insulin pump. Some people also take other diabetes medicines that work alongside insulin.
• If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to manage or even reverse it through lifestyle changes — a healthy diet, a healthy weight, and regular physical activity. Many people also need medicines, including tablets and sometimes insulin.
• If you have gestational diabetes, lifestyle changes can help lower your glucose. Talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after you give birth, but it does raise your later risk of type 2 diabetes.

Checking your blood glucose is an important part of managing diabetes. Ask your doctor about the best way to check it and how often.

Can diabetes be prevented?

Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented.

You may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes — eating a healthy diet, staying at a healthy weight, and getting regular physical activity. The same changes may help prevent gestational diabetes.