Diabetes is a common condition that affects the body’s ability to use glucose, a sugar that comes from your food and gives you energy. Diabetes arises when the body fails to create enough insulin or cannot efficiently utilize it. This causes glucose to build up in your blood instead of getting into cells where it belongs. Here’s what you need to know about the difference between the two types of diabetes in seniors.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that affects the pancreas and its ability to produce insulin, a hormone that helps your body’s cells take in glucose (sugar) from the blood, which you need for energy. Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or utilize it appropriately.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in your pancreas, known as beta cells. This type of diabetes usually happens before age 30 and may be caused by autoimmunity: when the body mistakenly attacks itself because it thinks something foreign has entered it, even though there isn’t anything! Type 1 is often referred to as juvenile or early onset because most people with this form are diagnosed during childhood or adolescence.
However, anyone can develop type 1 at any age if they have been exposed to certain viruses such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) or Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), which both cause chronic inflammation throughout our bodies over time, leading up to developing autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus erythematosus (LE), multiple sclerosis, etc. These two viruses alone do not cause diabetes but rather lead to developing it once all other factors contributing to its onset have been met.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not make or use insulin properly. Insulin helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. When you have type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces less than normal amounts of insulin and becomes resistant to it over time. This means that even though your body may be producing enough insulin to meet its needs, the cells don’t respond properly and cannot absorb all of it. As a result, blood sugar levels rise higher than normal and stay elevated for long periods, leading to serious health problems, including eye disease, nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), and kidney disease.
Treatment
If you or your loved one in Senior Living is diagnosed with either type of diabetes, it’s important to understand how they are treated.
Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetics take insulin shots (either in their stomach or under the skin) multiple times a day and eat a healthy diet. They also need to monitor their blood glucose levels regularly so that they can adjust their insulin dosage accordingly. In some cases, other medications may be prescribed as well.
Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetics often take oral medications and insulin shots when necessary. They should also try to lose weight by eating right and exercising regularly – this can help reduce complications related to high blood sugar levels over time.
Prevention
Prevention is always the best option for diabetes, regardless of the type. If you’re at risk for either type of the disease, there are some things you can do to lower the risk:
Exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. If these changes aren’t enough for your body to keep its blood sugar levels steady on its own, explore other options like medication or insulin shots (for type 1). For type 2 diabetics who don’t want to take any medications, there are still ways to manage the condition naturally through diet and exercise – talk with your doctor about what’s best for you!
