Diabetes is a long-lasting (or "chronic") health condition that makes your blood sugar too high – either because your body doesn’t make enough insulin (the hormone that turns food into energy) or because the insulin it makes is not used correctly. High blood sugar causes problems in many parts of the body over time - like heart disease, blindness, and damage to your nerves, feet and kidneys. Making changes to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and keep in good communication with your healthcare provider can help prevent, delay or manage type 2 diabetes.
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Types of Diabetes
There are many types of diabetes with many different causes and contributing factors. The most common types of diabetes are listed here, but there are many more. No matter what type of diabetes you have, it is important to remember that diabetes is not your fault. Taking small steps to manage diabetes can help improve your health and reduce your risk for complications. Managing diabetes is hard, and it is important to find support where you can. Explore free diabetes management workshops.
Type 1 diabetes
If you have type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no 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, the cells in your body don’t use insulin properly. The pancreas may be making insulin but is not making enough insulin to keep your blood glucose level in the normal range. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. 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 higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Sometimes diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes
People with prediabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. You also have a higher risk for heart disease than people with normal glucose levels.
If left untreated, prediabetes could develop into diabetes within five years. Knowing you're at risk of diabetes gives you a chance to take control of your health and take steps to prevent diabetes and other serious health problems.
There's a lot you can do to lower your risk! Quiz: Are you at risk of prediabetes?
*Types of diabetes definitions adapted from the National Institutes of Health. To learn more, visit: What is Diabetes?
Diabetes Data in Vermont
Around 49,000 people in Vermont have diagnosed diabetes. The rates for diabetes in Vermont have been steady for the past several years, but one out of four Vermonters do not yet know that they have diabetes. Diabetes is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality among Vermont residents and is often a significant contributor to other chronic conditions.
About 10% of people in Vermont have diagnosed prediabetes. Prediabetes is an underdiagnosed condition, and as many as one in three Vermont adults have prediabetes and most do not know they have it. Check your risk and sign up for a free diabetes prevention workshop.
