Diabetes Classification
Diabetes is classified by underlying cause. The categories are: type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the pancreas, rendering it unable to produce insulin; type 2 diabetes—in which a resistance to the effects of insulin or a defect in insulin secretion may be seen; gestational diabetes; and “other types”. Table 1 compares the presentation (phenotype) of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes commonly occurs in adults who are obese. There are many underlying factors that contribute to the high blood glucose levels in these individuals. An important factor is the body’s resistance to insulin in the body, essentially ignoring its insulin secretions. A second factor is the falling production of insulin by the beta cells of the pancreas. Therefore, an individual with type 2 diabetes may have a combination of deficient secretion and deficient action of insulin.
In contrast to type 2, type 1 diabetes most commonly occurs in children and is a result of the body’s immune system attacking and destroying the beta cells. The trigger for this autoimmune attack is not clear, but the result is the end of insulin production.
Text continued below