With type 1 diabetes, the exact cause isn’t known. What is known is that with the condition, a patient’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the patient’s pancreas. As a result, the patient is left with little insulin, and this causes sugar to build up in the patient’s bloodstream. It may be that type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and/or environmental factors, and weight may be a factor.

With type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, a patient’s cells become resistant to the action of insulin and the patient’s pancreas becomes unable to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance. Sugar builds up in the bloodstream as a result. It’s believed that there are genetic and environmental factors involved, and because weight is very commonly linked to type 2 diabetes, it’s likely a factor in many cases.

There’s also gestational diabetes which can happen during pregnancy. It can happen when a pregnant patient’s placenta creates hormones that make the body’s cells more resistant to insulin, and the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to make up for this.

There are some early warning signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as prediabetes. These include:

• Great hunger that seems abnormal
• Greater thirst than normal
• More frequent urination
• Weight loss that isn’t easily explained
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Vision that’s blurred
• Sores that seem to heal very slowly
• Infections, like skin infections, that seem frequent

Also, there may be risk factors like:

• Family history
• Exposure to a viral illness
• The presence of autoantibodies in the body
• Geography or ethnicity
• Weight or inactivity
• Age
• Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Prior gestational diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• High blood pressure

It’s possible for a patient of any age to develop type 1 diabetes, but it often occurs during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1, and can develop at any age too, but it’s more common in adults over 40 years old.

Typically, the 3 stages of type 1 diabetes are the detection of autoantibodies, glucose intolerance or dysglycemia, and then symptoms. With type 2 diabetes, the stages tend to be insulin resistance, prediabetes, symptoms, and then possible vascular complications. Since diabetes can be very serious, it’s important to be assessed for it or treated for it.

You can get assessed for diabetes or treated for it here at Suburban Healthcare Associates. We’re able to provide long term care and minor wound care for diabetics if you are one. If you believe you or a loved one needs our services, reach out to us today.

Yes, we do. You can contact our clinic at (815) 240-0661 if you’d like to learn more about us and see one of our diabetic specialists. We can assess you for diabetes or provide any non-emergency diabetic service you require. Connect with us today for a consultation, and when you’re ready to come in for your consultation, you’ll find our clinic at 13415 South Route 59, Plainfield, IL 60585. We hope to hear from and see you soon at Suburban Healthcare Associates! We serve patients from Naperville IL, Plainfield IL, Joliet IL, Woodridge IL, Wolfs IL, Warrenville IL, Crystal Lawns IL, Romeoville IL, Lockport IL, Crest Hill IL, Shorewood IL, Gilletts IL, and Fairmont IL.