Type 1 diabetes is mainly genetic and tends to first appear in children and adolescents. Type 2 diabetes usually appears in adults when the body develops insulin resistance.
Type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a metabolic condition that causes high blood sugar. About 1 in 10 people in the United States have diabetes.
While both types affect how your body turns food into energy, type 1 diabetes is mostly a genetic condition. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include diet, physical activity levels, and a higher body mass index (BMI). However, there are also genetic risk factors.
Causes and prevalence
Type 1 diabetes creates an autoimmune reaction that stops your body from making insulin. It’s usually diagnosed in childhood and adolescence and affects 5% to 10% of people with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes develops over the years, and your body no longer responds to insulin well. This prevents blood sugar levels from remaining at an optimal range. Doctors usually diagnose the condition in adults. Type 2 diabetes affects about 90% to 95% of people with diabetes.
Symptoms
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes share similar symptoms, including:
- intense thirst
- frequent urination
- fatigue
- blurry vision
- cuts and sores that take a long time to heal
- sudden weight loss
- irritability
- mood changes
- numbness in hands and feet
While symptoms of type 1 diabetes appear in a matter of weeks, they appear over several years in people with type 2 diabetes.
Treatment
As your body can’t make its own insulin, type 1 diabetes has no cure. However, there are various ways you can manage the condition.
In select cases, a pancreas transplant has the potential to cure type 1 diabetes, but the selection process can be limited.
With type 2 diabetes, as your body can make its own insulin but can’t use it well, you can take steps to prevent and manage the condition. Sometimes, it can even go into remission.
Treatment and management for both types of diabetes involve medication and lifestyle strategies.
Medication for type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes
Medications to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes are specific to each type. They aim to keep blood sugar within an optimal range to help prevent complications. This protection can help prevent the following:
- blindness
- kidney failure
- nerve damage
- heart attack
- stroke
Type 1 diabetes medications
The most common medication for type 1 diabetes is insulin, administered via injections or a pump. There are several types of insulin:
- Short-acting insulin: These include Humulin R, Novolin R, and Velosulin R.
- Rapid-acting insulin: These include Admelog, Afrezza, Apidra, Fiasp, Humalog, Lyumjev, and NovoLog.
- Intermediate-acting insulin: These include insulin isophane under the brand names Humulin, Novolin N, and Novolin N FlexPen.
- Long-acting insulin: These include:
- insulin degludec (Tresiba)
- insulin detemir (Levemir)
- insulin glargine(Basaglar KwikPen, Lantus)
- insulin glargine-yfgn (Semglee-yfgn)
- concentrated regular insulin (Humulin R)
- Combination insulin: These include:
- insulin aspart protamine/insulin aspart 70/30 (NovoLog Mix 70/30 and Fiasp)
- insulin glulisine (Apidra)
- insulin isophane/regular insulin 70/30 (Humulin 70/30 and Novolin 70/30)
- insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro 50/50 (Humalog Mix 50/50, Admelog, and Lyumjev)
- insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro 75/25 (Humalog Mix 75/25)
Another drug to help manage type 1 diabetes is pramlintide (Symlinpen), which you administer via injection.
Learn more about medications to manage type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes medications
Drugs to manage type 2 diabetes aim to help your body manage insulin.
Some of these medications, which can be taken orally or by injection, include:
- alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, which include acarbose (Precose) and miglitol (Glyset)
- amylin analogs, such as pramlintide (Symlinpen)
- DPP-4 inhibitors, which include alogliptin (Nesina), linagliptin (Tradjenta), sitagliptin (Januvia), and saxagliptin (Onglyza)
- metformin (Fortamet and Glumetza)
- meglitinides, which include nateglinide (Starlix) and repaglinide (Prandin)
- SGLT2 inhibitors, which include canagliflozin (Invokana), dapagliflozin (Farxiga), empagliflozin (Jardiance), and ertugliflozin (Steglatro)
- sulfonylureas, which include glimepiride (Amaryl), glipizide (Glucotrol), and glyburide (DiaBeta, Micronase, Glynase)
- thiazolidinediones, like rosiglitazone (Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos).
Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need to take insulin, but you should follow your doctor’s advice on this.
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