There is more than one type?

Diabetes is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of glucose in the blood. Glucose is produced by the liver from the foods we eat, providing us with energy. In a healthy person, blood glucose levels are regulated by several hormones, one of which is insulin. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, where it is used for fuel. People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both.
High glucose levels in the blood lead to damage of cells that need glucose for fuel and destruction of certain organs and tissues exposed to the high glucose levels.

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin or produce it in very small amounts. Type 1 diabetes comprises about 10% of total cases of diabetes in the United States. Though Type 1 diabetes can occur in an older individual due to destruction of pancreas by alcohol, disease, or removal by surgery or progressive failure of pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin it is typically recognized in childhood and adolescence. People with type 1 diabetes generally require daily insulin treatment to sustain life.

Individuals with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but the body is partially or completely unable to use it. They are insulin resistant. People with insulin resistance develop type 2 diabetes when they do not continue to secrete enough insulin to cope with the higher demands. At least 90% of patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is typically recognized in adulthood, but has recently been increasing in children due to rise in obesity. Type 2 diabetes is usually controlled with diet, weight loss, exercise, and oral medications.

Gestational dibetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during the second half of pregnancy. Although gestational diabetes typically goes away after delivery, women who have gestational diabetes are more likely than other women to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Prediabetes is a common condition related to diabetes. In people with prediabetes, the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes. There has been a focus on diagnosis for prediabetes.

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