If you suspect that your child has diabetes, it will be imperative that you take them to a doctor for a formal diagnosis. Diabetes can be a dangerous disease, and you will not want to give it a chance to reach an advanced stage. The best thing to learn about the different types of diabetes is to be the best advocate for your child.
What Causes Type I Diabetes?
The medical community doesn’t exactly know what causes type I diabetes. They know that the immune system fights the viruses or bacteria that enter the body, but this system can also destroy the cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. The result is that your body will not be able to produce enough insulin. However, since insulin cannot help your cells receive glucose, sugar builds up within your bloodstream when this occurs.
Your genes may cause type I diabetes, or it may be because of environmental factors. For example, a person’s weight is not believed to cause type I diabetes.
What Causes Type II Diabetes and Prediabetes?
In both these conditions, the cells begin to resist the action of insulin. This is known as “insulin resistance,” The pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Ordinarily, the insulin would move the glucose into the cells, used for energy. When this doesn’t happen, the glucose builds up within the bloodstream.
The medical community doesn’t know why this occurs, but they believe environmental and genetic factors contribute to it. In contrast to type I diabetes, type II diabetes is linked to obesity. However, not every person diagnosed with type II diabetes is obese.
What Causes Gestational Diabetes?
While a woman is pregnant, the placenta produces hormones needed to sustain the pregnancy. Sometimes, these hormones cause your cells to become resistant to insulin. In most cases, the pancreas can produce enough insulin to overcome the decrease in insulin production, but sometimes, the pancreas cannot produce enough. When this occurs, the body’s cells are not receiving enough insulin, and too much glucose remains within the bloodstream. The result is “gestational diabetes.”
Is Diabetes Reversible?
Some types of diabetes can be reversible. For example, prediabetes becomes type II diabetes, but it is possible to prevent this from happening. When a person decides to lose weight and begin exercising, blood sugar levels decrease, and the risk of type II diabetes also decreases.
After people develop type II diabetes, there is also the possibility that the disease can go into remission. This is when the person’s blood sugar levels enter the normal range and remain there for at least six months without medication. People can cause this to occur when they develop healthy habits.
Type I diabetes is one type of diabetes that is not reversible. This is an autoimmune disorder, and it requires that the person take insulin daily for the rest of their lives.
Tandem Diabetes Care is a helpful resource when you have questions about diabetes in children. Contact them today and find out how this organization can help you.