Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes: What’s the Difference?

The pancreas is a tadpole shaped organ that resides in the upper abdomen behind the stomach, but in front of the spine. It secretes insulin, a critical hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. But what happens when it isn’t functioning correctly, or the insulin it secretes isn’t being accepted by the body?

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas does not produce insulin for your body. Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps your body let sugar into your cells. The insulin acts as a key that “unlocks” your cells to allow the sugar to enter so your cells can use it for energy.

Let’s start with the basics. When you eat food, that food is broken down into sugar that enters your blood stream. The sugar in your blood stream signals to your pancreas that it is time to release insulin. The insulin acts as a key that unlocks your cells and allows the sugar to enter. This sugar is used by your cells for energy. Once the sugar levels in your blood stream decreases, it signals to your pancreas to decrease the amount of insulin that is released.

When you have Type 1 Diabetes, your pancreas will stop releasing insulin to your body to allow your cells to accept the sugar and use it for energy. This leads to an increase in blood sugar in your blood stream which is damaging to your body. Type 1 diabetes requires the administration of both long-acting and short-acting insulin shots to ensure the body has insulin to correctly process the sugars within their bodies.

While you aren’t eating, the liver slowly releases glucose to ensure that your body has energy. The long-acting insulin combats this sugar entering your blood stream to ensure that your blood sugar levels do not increase too much. The short-acting insulin combats blood sugar spikes related to eating.

This type of insulin works quickly and is dosed based on the amount of carbohydrates consumed at your meal. For people without diabetes, your body completes this rigorous cycle without missing a beat while people with Type 1 diabetes need additional assistance from their insulin shots.

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction. This means that the body mistakenly attacks itself and destroys healthy cells. For Type 1 diabetics, the body mistakenly destroys pancreatic β-cells. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, but most people are children when they are diagnosed.

There are two common age groups where people are typically diagnosed, between 4 and 7 years old, and between 10 and 14 years old. Although it is most commonly diagnosed in children, you can be diagnosed at any age.

For people who have Type 2 diabetes, their pancreas can still produce insulin, but there may not be enough insulin, or they are insulin resistant being unable to take the insulin into their cells. Type 2 diabetes is not an auto-immune disease, but rather is thought to be developed as a result of family history, lifestyle choices, or high blood pressure.

People with Type 2 diabetes typically do not use insulin shots to control their blood sugar. Instead, lifestyle changes such as increasing exercise and healthy food choices are used to control their blood sugar levels.

If Type 2 diabetes is not well controlled, this can lead to a complete stoppage of insulin production requiring additional intervention to control blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is typically diagnosed in people over 40 years of age, but similarly to Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age.

There are many symptoms that can occur prior to either diabetes diagnosis. These symptoms can include extreme thirst, fatigue, blurry vision, and hunger. Additionally, untreated or uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a multitude of issues within the body. When untreated or uncontrolled, the cells are unable to accept the sugar in your blood stream to use for energy.

Instead, the body begins to break down fat to power the cells which produces ketones. When the body is using fat for energy, too many ketones are produced too quickly leading to a buildup of dangerous ketone levels. This is called diabetic ketoacidosis which is a dangerous condition that can lead to coma or death.

There are many medical devices that help diabetics with their diabetes management. Two of the most helpful are continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and insulin pumps. A CGM is a device that sticks to your body that has a small needle that goes into the skin and can continuously output your blood sugar levels and keep track of them over time. CGMs provide a continuous alternative to periodically drawing a small droplet of blood from a finger which has to be done manually.

Additionally, for Type 1 diabetics who require insulin shots, insulin pumps can be used in conjunction with a CGM to release insulin into the body. Insulin pumps are small, electronic, wearable device that delivers insulin doses without the need for insulin shots. Working in conjunction with a continuous glucose monitoring system, the pump releases insulin to your body mimicking a functioning pancreas. There is less intervention required for an insulin pump, and technology is continuing to advance as new features and devices are being released. While not always perfect, these advancements in diabetes management devices can help provide relief for the diabetic community.

There are many differences and similarities between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that is diagnosed typically when younger and requires daily insulin use. Type 2 diabetes is not an auto-immune disease that is typically diagnosed as an adult and usually requires lifestyle changes to regulate blood sugar.

Sugar is vital for all people and when your cells are unable to use it for energy it can lead to many severe issues. There are options for managing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and with continued research, new options for diabetes management for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes will continue to be available.