Despite the fact that everyone has heard about diabetes, few people know for sure what the difference is between its 1st and 2nd types.
As you know, diabetes is not treated. This common and dangerous disease should be studied. After all, information about the disease is the best weapon against it. Everyone who is worried about their health should know that this is type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The difference between them is obvious to doctors. But for other people, these differences are often incomprehensible.
Diabetes: who is at risk?
Diabetes is a dangerous violation of the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body. The treatment of this disease is not cheap. And the complications are very serious. To prevent the development of the disease, you need to know what factors provoke the development of diabetes and who is at risk:
- Sweet tooth. Those who love sweets and especially eat sweets at night can soon join the ranks of patients.
- Hypertensive. People whose blood pressure is constantly elevated are also at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Lovers of alcohol. Alcohol also contains sugar.
- Permanent violation of the regime of the day: food at night, unbalanced food. All this ultimately leads to problems in the endocrine system.
Those who are at risk are especially important to eat right. For example, you can’t eat potatoes or pasta for dinner. Dinner needs to be prepared light and sparing.
Of great importance for the health and prevention of diabetes is a daily exercise or walk lasting at least 30-40 minutes. Hypodynamia also leads to excess weight and contributes to the development of this terrible disease.
Diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2. Description
When cells of the injured pancreas are gradually destroyed under the influence of destructive factors, the cells of the body are severely deficient in insulin. Type 1 diabetes develops before the age of 26-30 and is called insulin-dependent. It develops very sharply, unexpectedly. For unknown reasons, a person loses weight and, besides, constantly experiences severe weakness and drowsiness. Young people and children fall ill.
A sharp decrease in insulin below normal causes a severe coma. Therefore, insulin-dependent diabetes requires careful, constant monitoring by doctors, and the patient himself must take medication hourly and follow a diet for his own health.
The second type of diabetes is due to the fact that the tissues gradually lose sensitivity to insulin. Acquired diabetes (insulin resistant) appears after 35 years.
Symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes
The disease manifests itself almost identically in both the first and second types. Tests will help determine it accurately. Both that and another diabetes - a disease of the endocrine sector of the body and is manifested as follows:
- tormented by constant thirst;
- itchy skin;
- hunger;
- constant urge to the toilet;
- the smallest wounds cannot heal for a long time;
- weakness, drowsiness.
So overall diabetes mellitus type 1 and type 2 is manifested. The difference in symptoms is that with type 1 a person loses weight dramatically, and with type 2 diabetes, on the contrary, he is rapidly gaining weight.
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes: causes and effects
The development of acquired diabetes (type 2) does not occur immediately, blood sugar increases, and insulin should also increase. Uncontrollably consuming sweets, a person brings the amount of insulin in the blood to a peak, then the pancreas gets tired constantly being under stress, and the body’s cells no longer respond to the insulin that is.
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes also leads to the destruction of the body, as well as type 1. But not so fast.
The result of diabetes can be:
- visual impairment;
- problems with nerve endings;
- circulatory disorders (prolonged circulatory disturbances of the limbs lead to gangrene and subsequent amputation).
However, if you constantly inject insulin, there will be no such devastating effects on the body.
Comparison of type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Consider in more detail diabetes mellitus type 1, 2. The difference between the mechanism of the disease is understandable. Of course, the patient will be taken for analysis and the entire medical history will be clarified before being diagnosed.
The doctor, of course, needs to understand the full picture of the disease, and for this, glucose in the patient’s blood is closely monitored. But there are a few more important characteristics by which type 1 and type 2 diabetes are shared. The difference is clearly visible in the table. We will get acquainted with this information in more detail.
Diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2. Differences |
Sign | 1st type | 2nd type |
Disease onset | Sharp | Slowly developing |
Floor | The number of men among patients prevails | Men and women are equally affected |
Course of the disease | Not installed | Have been ill all my life |
Analysis of urine | Glucose and acetone present | Glucose only |
Pancreatic condition | The number of beta cells that produce insulin is reduced | Pancreas is normal |
The presence of antibodies to pancreatic cells | Present for the first 2 weeks | Are absent |
The presence of white blood cells | Occasionally observed during the first 2 weeks. | Are absent |
How often do relatives of a diabetic get sick? | Less than 10% | More than 20% |
Seasonality | Fall and winter | Season does not affect the course of the disease |
Complications | Violation of the blood supply to small vessels | Large blood supply |
Treatment features | Diet, insulin injections | Diet and pills |
From the table you can understand how different type 1 and type 2 diabetes are. The difference is in the features of the development of the disease, in the analysis, course and treatment of the disease.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes: the difference. Blood glucose table
In medicine, it is also customary to separate diabetes by sugar level. Sugar is normal - up to 7 mmol / l. Deviations from the norm may indicate the onset of the disease.
We trace these deviations and establish type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The difference in sugar level gives information only to doctors. Patients have little understanding of why this is necessary. But you can try to understand this issue.
Type of diabetes | Pre-Food Glucose Level (mmol / L) | Glucose level after 2 hours (mmol / L) |
1st type | 4-7 | Above 8.5 |
2nd type | 4-7 | Higher than 9 |
Children | 4-8 | Higher than 10 |
These indicators do not lie and provide accurate information for the endocrinologist and nutritionist, who will restore the balance of nutrition.
The work of insulin in the body
Insulin is involved in metabolic processes in the body, primarily in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Failures in the metabolic system lead to serious health problems. When this hormone is not enough, sugar is not absorbed by the cells, it freely "drifts" through the circulatory system. Ketone bodies accumulate in the body, which are the strongest bio-poison. Ketoacidosis develops, and the body poisoned by ketone bodies falls into a coma.
Having noticed some signs of diabetes, you should immediately consult a doctor.
By the way, the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is also that ketoocytosis is predominantly inherent in the insulin-dependent type of disease. While the 2nd type of diabetes does not pass all stages so quickly, and it is possible to diagnose it faster.
Insulin rate
The importance of insulin is indicated by the presence of a disease such as diabetes. In children and adults, this indicator is different. Insulin is measured only on an empty stomach, since the food eaten immediately raises its level.
For adults, the normal rate is 3-25 mcU / ml. For children, a higher value is permissible - up to 20 mkU. And for pregnant women and the elderly (more than 60 years), the indicator is up to 35 mkU.
In adolescence, the body changes, and insulin levels from 13-14 years old begin to depend on the amount of food eaten. Therefore, from now on, the child no longer needs to give a lot of sweets.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Difference in treatment
Type 1 diabetes progresses rapidly. Therefore, the patient has to inject insulin earlier. Insulin is short acting and prolonged. The prolonged hormone will last for 1.5 days.
Which one to choose, the attending physician will advise. Without taking insulin, diabetes cannot be cured. What is the difference (type 1 and type 2 disease, of course, is different) in diabetic treatment and does this treatment help? It helps, but only when the diet prescribed by the doctor is followed.
And the development of insulin-resistant diabetes, as they said, is very slow. It affects people with large body mass. The very first treatment for these people is to start monitoring proper nutrition and regulating their weight. It is because of malnutrition that diabetes is acquired in most cases.
There are norms for the ratio of height and weight of a person. These standards need to gradually bring the weight. Too sharply rush to other extremes and you can’t starve. You may need the help of nutritionists and psychologists. The treatment then mainly occurs with the help of tablets. Only in serious cases are injections prescribed.
Products for diabetics. Glycemic index
Without fail, a person with diabetes should monitor the number of calories absorbed. For women, a food supply of 1800-2000 kcal per day is the norm, and for males - 2500-2700 kcal. It’s also useful to keep track of the glycemic index of foods. The glycemic index of the product indicates the content of glucose in it. The higher the index, the faster the level of glucose in the body rises.
Diabetics need to know the exact time when they inject insulin. So the glycemic index will tell you the time when the eaten food is absorbed by the body. After all, products with a high index will be processed longer.
Nutritionists have already calculated this index for many products and put together convenient tables. And a diabetic, based on the data in the table, will be able to choose products with a low index.
So, all the main indicators are clear. There is no doubt about how dangerous type 1 and type 2 diabetes is. The difference between the course and treatment of these 2 types is undeniable. Unfortunately, many people already know from experience what acquired diabetes is. And it is better to protect health, as they say, from a young age.