Diabetes and Its Symptoms

Diabetes Overview

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose. The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the body's cells. Individuals who have diabetes suffer from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes causes glucose to build up in the blood.�

Individuals can take steps to control diabetes and lower the risk of complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure. People with diabetes need to keep their blood glucose levels from going too high or too low.�

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes typically strikes children and young adults, but the disease can occur at any age. This type of diabetes was previously called juvenile-onset diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type 1 diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells. These cells make the hormone insulin which regulates blood glucose.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. This type of diabetes usually begins as insulin resistance where the cells do not use insulin properly. The pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce an adequate amount of insulin. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may develop gradually.�

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents. This type of diabetes is associated with obesity, family history of diabetes, older age, physical inactivity, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and some Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes.�