What are the types of diabetes?

There are different types of diabetes.

The commonest are

  • Type 1

  • Type 2

  • Pregnancy related diabetes

The types of diabetes

  • It is a type of diabetes caused by the absence of insulin.

    This means that the hormone that reduces blood sugar is absent and so the person affected develops a high blood sugar level .

    It can occur at any age, but it is more common in children and adolescents.

  • It is the most common type of diabetes in the world.

    The commonest cause of this diabetes is an unhealthy lifestyle.

    It is caused by a lack of response of the body to insulin.

    In addition, this can also be accompanied by a partial reduction in the amount of insulin produced in the body.

  • It is caused by the hormones produced during pregnancy.

    The hormones in pregnancy work to provide nutrients to the growing baby however, they can also lead to diabetes.

    Diabetes due to pregnancy typically occurs in the last 6 months of pregnancy .

Why do the types matter?

The type of diabetes determines

  • The treatment you get-some forms of diabetes respond to one type of treatment and not others.

  • Knowing the form of diabetes helps the doctor predict the chance of developing complications and try to prevent them.

How does the doctor diagnose diabetes?

Using a blood test

In non- pregnant adults or children.

Option 1

Your doctor may ask you to have your sugar checked first thing when you wake up before you have eaten anything. (You should have not eaten for at least 8 hours)

(If it is over 7, you're likely to have diabetes.)

or

Option 2

Your doctor may ask for a blood test called HbA1C.

(It is a blood test that can predict how your sugars have been for the past 3 months even before you were feeling unwell).

(If it is more than 6.5% then it is likely you have diabetes)

It works because diabetes does not develop in a day. It develops slowly over time before we experience symptoms.

or

Option 3

The laboratory staff will ask you to fast after dinner (8-10 hours) and avoid smoking or caffeine. In the morning they will give you something to drink. What you are given has a fixed amount of glucose/sugar. Your blood sugar level is measured after 2 hours to see how your body processes the sugar.

(If after 2 hours your blood sugar level is above 11 then it is likely you have diabetes.)

Two tests can be used to confirm diabetes, or a single test can be repeated to confirm diabetes in case of doubt.

If you do the tests above and the results are not in the range of diabetes but are close to diabetes range, it is known as pre-diabetes.

This means that you could easily become diabetic if you don’t make some changes to your lifestyle. You can have the tests repeated once a year to make sure you don’t develop diabetes.

In pregnancy

Diabetes can develop in pregnancy.

How is diabetes diagnosed in pregnancy?

You will be asked to fast after dinner the previous night. The following morning you be given something to drink. Whatever you are given has a fixed amount of sugar in it.

The laboratory will measure your blood sugar level 1 hour later and then after 2 hours to see how your body regulates sugar.

If your blood sugar is more than 12, after 2 hours, it is suggestive of diabetes.

Does having a high blood sugar level mean you have diabetes?

No.

There are situations that can cause your sugar to be temporarily high.

If there is a possibility that this is the case, then you may be asked to repeat the tests after these situations have lapsed.

These include

  • Severe stress on the body from being very unwell like having a heart attack

  • Medications like steroids

  • Having major surgery

  • Checking immediately after a meal

Does a high blood sugar level always require treatment, if you don’t have diabetes?

It depends on the level.

Your doctor will asses the level of your blood sugar and if it is significantly high they may recommend treatment.

The doctor can repeat the tests at a later date -like when you are well or have stopped using certain medications- to confirm that your sugar is now normal.

If it is not normal then you are likely to have diabetes and need long term treatment.