The Diabetes Series: Type I and Type II Diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes mellitus (DM), Type I diabetes (also called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM) and Type II diabetes (also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus).
Type I diabetes:
It occurs when the insulin-producing cells in the body do not function, and they make little or no insulin. If the body does not even produce insulin, the glucose cannot move into the cells. TO stay alive, the majority of these people will have to depend on insulin injections for the rest of their lives. Type I is much less common form of diabetes - only about 10-20 percent of all diabetics are insulin dependent. This kind of diabetes usually begins in childhood or youth.
Type II diabetes:
It most often begins in overweight adults who are over the age of 40. With Type II diabetes, the pancreas does still produce some insulin. In some cases, the body is simply not making enough insulin. In other cases, however, the body may be making an adequate amount of insulin, but that insulin is no longer effective because the cells’ insulin receptors are jammed. The pancreas may try to remedy the situation by producing more and more insulin. But if the receptors don’t work, even this may not help.
