Diabetes comes in two forms. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. These are the cells that produce insulin and when the body ceases to produce insulin the result is diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally appears early in life and progresses quickly. But fortunately Type 1 diabetes is relatively rare.

The majority of diabetics are afflicted with Type 2 diabetes. With Type 2 diabetes, the issue is not the lack of insulin, but rather the body’s reaction to insulin. Specifically the cells do not react as they normally should which causes glucose to accumulate in the blood.

Type two diabetes is generally thought of as a disease of aging. It generally comes on gradually and doesn’t appear in the diabetic until after the age of 50. As the body ages cells throughout the body become less sensitive to insulin and to compensate for this the pancreas produces more insulin. Eventually the pancreas is unable to produce insulin fast enough to keep up and the blood sugar level rises.

Until insulin treatment became available in 1922 a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis was like a death sentence as those afflicted generally passed within months of their diagnosis. In contrast, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be difficult to spot but include chronic fatigue, excessive urination, and slower healing of sores. The symptoms of type 2 diabetics are often so subtle that nearly a third of type 2 diabetics don’t even realize they have the disease.

The lucky ones are diagnosed with diabetes during a routine physical examination. Those not so fortunate may not discover they are diabetic until they develop severe complications such as suddenly blurred vision, heart attack, or stroke.

Another important distinction between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes is in the treatment and possible cure. Type 1 diabetes is much more severe in that not only do we not know how to cure it, we don’t know how to prevent it either. Type 2 diabetes is not nearly so problematic in that it is strongly associated with excess weight. So by simply maintaining a healthy weight, individuals can reduce their risk of developing diabetes significantly. And if diabetes is caught in its early stages it can possibly be cured by simply losing weight and then maintaining that weight which proves to be more conducive to good health.

In adults, the vast majority of diabetics suffer from type 2 diabetes, but the opposite is true of younger people. Considering type 2 diabetes is considered a disease of aging and doesn’t normally appear until after the 50 it makes sense that most juvenile cases of diabetes are from type 1 diabetes and are more severe in nature. But even so type 1 diabetes when caught early and treated properly is still manageable and those with it can still lead fairly normal and productive lives.