Diabetes is a chronic condition which is typified by a distorted metabolism and raised levels of blood sugar which lead to reduced levels of insulin. The symptoms of diabetes can look very much like those of a host of other conditions and the disease can therefore go undiagnosed for years. Screening for this particular condition is important because early diagnosis and treatment greatly improve the quality of life for those who have this condition.

There are two key forms of diabetes that those individuals who are unfamiliar with the disease often find it hard to separate and these are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of cells within the pancreas which occurs because of an auto-immune attack. It cannot be prevented and accounts for approximately ten percent of the cases of diabetes in North America and Europe. Type 1 diabetes is found in children and adults and is often referred to as juvenile diabetes.

This form of diabetes can be treated successfully by monitoring levels of blood glucose and adding insulin to the body. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can require supplementary insulin and diabetic coma or death can follow if there is a rapid drop in insulin.

Aside from taking insulin, type 1 diabetes is best managed by exercise and diet. People with this disease need to know their glucose level and make sure that insulin is replaced as needed by injection or use of an insulin pump.

Type 2 diabetes is different from the type 1 form of this disease because it occurs as a result of a resistance to insulin or insulin sensitivity and the body’s lowered insulin production. Type 2 diabetes is commonly seen in people who are severely overweight, are advanced in age, have a family history and who take little or no exercise.

People with type 1 diabetes must use medication because their bodies can no longer create insulin. Type 2 diabetics however have a few different options when it comes to keeping their condition under control. Exercise and diet may well be enough to control type 2 diabetes but oral medication and insulin can also be included in treatment.

There are several different treatment options available but the most important part of the treatment equation is the patient. This may well be a chronic disease but that does not mean that it is a lost cause and there are various ways in which you can keep your body in good health when you are suffering from diabetes. Indeed, the diabetic himself or herself is the key player in the fight against the side effects of this unfortunately all too common condition.