What is type 1 diabetes? A Mayo Clinic expert explains

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that affect the body's use of blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is an important source of energy for the muscles and tissues' cells. It is also the primary source of fuel for the brain.

The primary cause of diabetes varies depending on the type. However, diabetes, regardless of the type, can result in an excess of sugar in the blood. Too much sugar in the bloodstream can cause serious health issues.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes and gestational diabetes. Prediabetes happens when blood sugar levels are higher than normal. But the blood sugar levels aren't high enough to be called diabetes. And prediabetes can lead to diabetes unless steps are taken to prevent it. Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy. But it may go away after the baby is born.

Symptoms

Diabetes symptoms are determined by your blood sugar level. Some people, particularly those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes tend to appear quickly and are more severe. Some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are:

. Feeling more thirsty than usual.

. Urinating often.

. Losing weight without trying.

. Presence of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin.

. Feeling tired and weak.

. Feeling irritable or having other mood changes.

. Having blurry vision.

. Having slow-healing sores.

. Getting a lot of infections, such as gum, skin and vaginal infections.

Diabetes type 1 can strike at any age. However, it frequently begins in childhood or adolescence. The more common type of diabetes, type 2, can develop at any age. People over the age of 40 are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Causes

To understand diabetes, it's important to understand how the body normally uses glucose.

How insulin works

. Insulin is a hormone that comes from a gland behind and below the stomach (pancreas).

. The pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream.

. The insulin circulates, letting sugar enter the cells.

. Insulin lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.

. As the blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from the pancreas.

The role of glucose

Glucose — a sugar — is a source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and other tissues.

. Glucose comes from two major sources: food and the liver.

. Sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it enters cells with the help of insulin.

. The liver stores and makes glucose.

. When glucose levels are low, such as when you haven't eaten in a while, the liver breaks down stored glycogen into glucose. This keeps your glucose level within a typical range.

Most kinds of diabetes lack a known precise cause. Sugar builds up in the bloodstream in every situation. This is as a result of inadequate insulin production by the pancreas. Diabetes of either type can result from a mix of hereditary and environmental causes. What those factors might be is unknown.

Risk factors

Depending on the type of diabetes, different risk factors apply. In all types, family history could be important. Geographical location and environmental factors can increase the incidence of type 1 diabetes. Testing for diabetic immune system cells in relatives of persons with type 1 diabetes occurs occasionally (autoantibodies). You run a higher risk of getting type 1 diabetes if you have certain autoantibodies. However, not everybody with these autoantibodies goes on to acquire diabetes.

Race or ethnicity also may raise your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Although it's unclear why, certain people — including Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian American people — are at higher risk.

Prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes are more common in people who are overweight or obese.

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