Diabetes 101

“Diabetes” is an umbrella term for two distinct diseases that yield similar outcomes. Type 1 diabetes, or “juvenile diabetes” strikes most often in childhood, though more and more adults are developing it, for reasons doctors have been unable to explain. Type 1 is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the body's own T cells attack and destroy the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Without insulin in the bloodstream, the body cannot properly metabolize glucose; nerve-damaging toxins accumulate in the blood. People with type 1 diabetes are dependent on insulin injections, often several times a day. Approximately 2 million Americans have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood. The body continues to produce insulin, but is unable to respond to it. Often, it can be controlled with diet and/or oral medications. Approximately 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes.

Both types can cause diabetic neuropathy — the degeneration of nerves — which can be manifested in many ways: urinary, digestive and heart problems, or simply pain in the feet and legs.

—WH

Also:

Diabetes Care and Research at U-M