Diabetes

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

There are several types of diabetes with different causes and symptoms. . They include:

• Type 1 Diabetes -- Type 1 diabetes most often affects children and adults under the age of 35, but older adults also can have the disease. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas stop making insulin. Although the cause of the condition is unknown, research has shown that type 1 diabetes results from an underlying genetic risk coupled with one or more environmental exposures. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta or insulin-producing cells, which is why the condition is referred to as an autoimmune disease. Although signs and symptoms seem to develop rapidly over weeks to months, the destruction of beta cells often occurs slowly over years.

• Type 2 Diabetes -- This form of diabetes differs from type 1 because the initial problem is thought to be the body's increased resistance to insulin. The body's fat, muscle and liver cells don't respond to insulin properly. Insulin resistance makes it difficult for sugar to enter the cells. Initially, the beta or insulin-producing cells in the pancreas try to compensate by making more insulin, but may not be able to sustain this increased production over time. At that point, blood sugars start to rise and diabetes develops.

  Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in people over age 45, but can affect children and teenagers, especially those with family members who have type 2 diabetes. It is the most common form of diabetes, with an increasing incidence. The condition affects an estimated 1 in 20 people in the United States and occurs 10 times more often than type 1. Type 2 tends to run in families and in some cases appears to be inherited as a dominant trait.

  Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. African Americans, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders tend to be at a higher risk than Caucasians.

• Gestational Diabetes -- Gestational diabetes refers to diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs in about 7 percent of all pregnancies. The condition usually develops in the second half of pregnancy due to insulin resistance. If gestational diabetes is not treated, the mother and fetus may experience complications. Gestational diabetes typically resolves after delivery, but women who experience gestational diabetes are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

• Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) -- The main characteristic of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a diagnosis before the age of 35 in at least three generations of family members. Accounting for 2 percent to 5 percent of all cases of diabetes, this condition is due to a single gene that is passed down from generation to generation as a dominant trait. Several genetic defects affecting the beta cell and insulin production and secretion have been noted in relation to this condition. Some people with MODY are treated with insulin. Others can be treated with diabetes pills.

Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms of all forms of diabetes include:

• Bedwetting in children who have been toilet trained
• Blurred vision
• Dry, itchy skin
• Extreme hunger
• Fatigue or low energy level
• Nausea
• Poorly healing wounds
• Thirst
• Tingling in the feet
• Urinating often, especially during the night
• Weight loss
• Yeast infections

It's important to note that diabetes often goes undiagnosed because these symptoms seem harmless or people aren't aware of them.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007