Types of diabetes

diabetes

The occurrence of diabetes of any kind is due to the fact that glucose is not fully or partially absorbed in the human body, which brings many unpleasant and sometimes irreversible consequences. Under normal conditions, the pancreas (PZH) automatically releases the hormone insulin into the bloodstream as soon as glucose is released into the bloodstream and the body's cells use it to "absorb" sugar. In diabetics this process is interrupted for various reasons.

Type 1 diabetes

Typically, type 1 diabetes occurs in early childhood and adolescence. The pancreas stops producing insulin because the beta cells of the "Langerhans Islands" in which it is produced, die completely or partially. Sometimes clinical type 1 diabetes starts after severe viral infections, according to scientists, the immune system is to blame for this "failure".

Some dangerous viruses are very similar in structure to pancreatic beta cells, and the immune system destroys them along with foreign viruses. It is impossible to restore insulin-producing cells, so for a diabetic the only way to improve metabolism is lifelong control of blood sugar levels and timely administration of insulin.

type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood and old age. Very often, its appearance is associated with obesity, although sometimes it also appears with hereditary predisposition, as well as after taking certain medications. Type 2 diabetes can develop against the background of chronic diseases of the pancreas or during pregnancy. Even if the pancreas of such patients produces enough insulin, it is slower than it should be. Therefore, cells do not have time to use all of glucose and its level rises.

The second reason for glycemia in type 2 diabetes is the decreased tissue sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Doctors call this disorder "insulin resistance". Simply put, they lack its normal amount, which is mainly related to obesity.

Gestational diabetes

One type of type 2 diabetes is gestational diabetes, or gestational diabetes. A pregnant woman's pancreas produces a normal amount of insulin, but tissue sensitivity to it decreases due to the presence of "pregnancy hormones" in the blood. It usually appears at week 20-24 and continues until birth and after that the metabolism improves by itself. However, sometimes, under the guise of gestational diabetes, DM 1 begins, and it also happens that in the background of pregnancy, DM 2 appears, the presence of which the woman did not suspect.