Diabetes
There are two diseases that share the name “diabetes.” Both involve insulin, which regulates how the body burns fuel in the form of glucose. They are actually not very similar.
Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that usually begins during childhood or adolescence. The body’s immune system, which defends the body from infection, instead attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 1 diabetics are unable to produce insulin and need to take it throughout their lives.
Type 2 diabetes generally occurs in older adults, although it becoming more common in younger people. It is often part of a metabolic syndrome that also includes obesity and cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetics produce insulin, but their cells become more and more resistant to it. Glucose levels in the blood rise, which can lead to serious complications including vision, nerve and kidney problems.
