Question

4.   Your family member is diagnosed with TYPE 1 diabetes and they come to you for an explanation, how would you explain what is happening to them to cause the disease and how it must be treated. Also explain how this differs from a diagnosis of TYPE 2 diabetes.

Answer 1

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the condition in which there is abnormally high blood glucose level due to autoimmune destruction of beta cells of pancreas which produce insulin. The autoimmune destruction of insulin producing beta cells is generally triggered by some viral infection. As there is decreased insulin in the body, blood glucose level remains abnormally high (as insulin decreases the blood glucose level). Type 1 diabetes is usually found in children and young adults generally before the age of 30 years and the usual body type of the patient is thin. It has no strong family history and the disease is usually sudden in onset. These patients are more prone to develop diabetic ketoacidosis as a complication of decreased insulin and abnormally high blood glucose level. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is usually treated with insulin therapy as oral hypoglycemia drugs are not effective in these patients due to destruction of beta cells of pancreas. Human insulin and recombinant insulin preparations are generally used to treat type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is different from type 1 diabetes mellitus in that fact that type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs due to insulin resistance in the body. The level of insulin in the body may be normal, high or low but the body tissues are unable to utilise this insulin as there is insulin resistance. The body type of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus is obese and overweight and it has a strong family history. The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is more than type 1 diabetes mellitus. The patient is prone to develop hyperosmolar hyperglycemia non ketotic coma unlike ketoacidosis in type 1 diabetes mellitus. For treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, oral hypoglycemia drugs (glucose lowering drugs) are generally used. Lifestyle modification like weight loss, exercise are also effective in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.