. At this point, these autoantibodies have already started to attack beta cells in the pancreas. However, blood sugar levels are still within the normal range and there are no symptoms. Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition.
In this condition, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that the body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. Some people with type 1 have a honeymoon period, a brief remission of symptoms while the pancreas continues to secrete some insulin. The honeymoon phase usually occurs after someone has started taking insulin.
A honeymoon can last as little as a week or even up to a year. But it's important to know that the absence of symptoms doesn't mean the diabetes is gone. Over time, the pancreas will not be able to secrete insulin, and if left untreated, symptoms will return. Your body is a machine that burns fuel, and the main fuel it burns is sugar, also known as glucose.
However, in people with diabetes, the body doesn't store or use sugar effectively for energy. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood, where it can cause serious problems, such as blindness and nerve damage. Let's talk about a type of diabetes known as type 1 diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes, which is often caused by obesity, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease.
That means your immune system, which normally protects your body, turns against you. In this case, the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar into cells. It is stored there until the body needs it for energy.
Without enough insulin, sugar can't enter cells, so it builds up in the bloodstream. How do you know you have type 1 diabetes? The first signs are usually that you feel very thirsty or tired. You may lose weight without planning on it or feel numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. If your blood sugar level has already risen a lot, your body can't use sugar for energy, so it uses fat instead.
This leads to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. Your breath will smell fruity, as if you just ate a fruit salad. Your breathing will speed up and you may feel nauseous. The test can be done when you haven't eaten anything.
This is called a fasting blood glucose test. When you have type 1 diabetes, you need to inject insulin to replace what your body doesn't produce. Insulin is only available as an injection, so you'll need to learn to give yourself an injection every day or use a pump that continuously delivers insulin to your body. Managing diabetes also means watching your diet so you don't consume too much or too little sugar at one time.
You should also check your blood sugar levels regularly and keep track of them over time. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease, but it can be managed and lived with. The key to staying healthy with diabetes is to work with your team of doctors. Check your blood sugar level at home and ask your doctor to check your A1c levels at least every 3 to 6 months.
This test shows how well you control your blood sugar over time. Also visit your doctor for regular cholesterol, blood pressure and kidney tests. See an eye doctor at least once a year and see a dentist every 6 months. Also check your feet every day for skin sores that you may not be able to feel due to nerve damage.
And see a podiatrist or your regular doctor to have your feet examined twice a year. If you have any symptoms such as fatigue, frequent urination, blurred vision, foot sores, numbness or tingling, or a fast heart rate, call your doctor right away. When prediabetes progresses to the next stage, type 2 diabetes is diagnosed because blood sugar levels have continued to rise within the range of type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, there are also four stages, but these stages are different and include insulin resistance, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes with complications.
During the insulin resistance stage, muscles, fat, and liver begin to fail to respond to the hormone insulin. After insulin resistance, the next stage of type 2 diabetes is “prediabetes,” which is sometimes referred to as “impaired glucose tolerance.”. Some complications of diabetes (both type 1 and type 1) include ESRD (end-stage renal disease), neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and increased risk of strokes and heart events. The first stage of type 2 diabetes is known as the “molecular stage”, altered insulin sensitivity or, more commonly, “insulin resistance”.
If you want to see the different stages of each type of diabetes side by side, check out this comparative table of stages of diabetes. If you're going through the stages of diabetes on your own or for a loved one, you've come to the right place. However, during these early stages, there is a progressive attack on the beta cells of the pancreas due to the increase in autoimmune antibodies. .
