Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

​

​

​

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy.

​

What are the different types of diabetes?

​

The most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

​

Type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive.

​

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes.

​

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Sometimes diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is actually type 2 diabetes.

​

How common is diabetes?

As of 2015, 30.3 million people in the United States, or 9.4 percent of the population, had diabetes. More than 1 in 4 of them didn’t know they had the disease. Diabetes affects 1 in 4 people over the age of 65. About 90-95 percent of cases in adults are type 2 diabetes.

​

Who is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes?

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are age 45 or older, have a family history of diabetes, or are overweight. Physical inactivity, race, and certain health problems such as high blood pressure also affect your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. You are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you have prediabetes or had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant. Learn more about risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

What health problems can people with diabetes develop?

Over time, high blood glucose leads to problems such as:

• heart disease

• stroke

• kidney disease

• eye problems

• dental disease

• nerve damage

• foot problems

 

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• increased thirst and urination

• increased hunger

• fatigue

• blurred vision

• numbness or tingling in the feet or hands

• sores that do not heal

• unexplained weight loss

 

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

Your chances of developing type 2 diabetes depend on a combination of risk factors such as your genes and lifestyle. Although you can’t change risk factors such as family history, age, or ethnicity, you can change lifestyle risk factors around eating, physical activity, and weight. These lifestyle changes can affect your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

​

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you:

• are overweight or obese

• are age 45 or older

• have a family history of diabetes

• are African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander

• have high blood pressure

• have a low level of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, or a high level of triglycerides

• have a history of gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more

• are not physically active

• have a history of heart disease or stroke

• have depression

• have polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS

• have acanthosis nigricans—dark, thick, and velvety skin around your neck or armpits

​

What can I do to prevent type 2 diabetes?

You can take steps to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing weight if you are overweight, eating fewer calories, and being more physically active.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk with your health care professional about any of the health conditions listed above that may require medical treatment. Managing these health problems may help reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Also, ask your health care professional about any medicines you take that might increase your risk.

​