Diabetes mellitus or diabetes, as it is commonly referred to, is a life-long chronic condition that largely affects your body’s ability to efficiently use energy from food consumed. Diabetes can be largely classified into three major types:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gestational diabetes

There is also juvenile diabetes where the condition is found from infancy. However, it cannot be classified as a type of diabetes.

For all the types, one thing remains common—insulin, the hormone responsible for the conversion of glucose to energy. Due to diabetes mellitus, the body doesn’t make enough insulin or fails to use the insulin that is produced or a combination of both. Due to the cells’ inability to take the glucose, its levels increase in the blood. When the glucose levels are high, it affects the blood vessels, especially the tiny ones and can eventually cause damage to the major organs like the heart, eyes, kidneys, and the nervous system. An unmanaged diabetic could possibly lead to blindness, heart failure, kidney-related issues, and podiatry, which is nerve damage in the feet.

Type 1
Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes, it often occurs at a very young age. It is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks its own pancreas with antibodies. The damaged pancreas, in turn, does not produce insulin. This could also be a genetic predisposition, making those with Type 1 vulnerable to a lot of complications. Everything relating to the blood vessel and nerves eventually get damaged over a period of time. Diabetic retinopathy and kidney nephropathy are common. A lot of type 1 people are known to undergo dialysis due to the failure of kidney functions at an early age. Insulin is administered through injections into the fatty tissue on the upper thighs, shoulder, or stomach. Frequent testing of blood sugars is the only way one can keep a close track of their fluctuating sugar levels.

Type 2
This is the most common form of diabetes with around 26 million adults diagnosed with the disease. Type 2 is a non-insulin dependent diabetes but could turn out to be one if not managed properly. In this case, the pancreas does produce insulin but not in sufficient quantities or not enough when compared to the needs of the body. It could also be due to a situation where the cells in the body are resistant to insulin. People who are obese are highly susceptible to this condition. In the case of type 2, tiny blood vessels that support the effective functioning of the main organs get damaged.

Gestational diabetes
The trigger here is pregnancy. This often arises in the middle or last stage of pregnancy where there is a certain amount of insulin resistance. The reason for this is high levels of sugar being circulated to the baby from the mother through the placenta. This must certainly be monitored. To control this, the doctors often come up with meal and exercise plans and, in some cases, also prescribe insulin.

No matter the type of diabetes, monitoring the levels on a regular basis is the key to stay healthy.