How To Understand The Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Risk Factors

Up to ten percent of all diabetic patients are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Although anyone can develop type 1 diabetes at any age, it is most common in young people under the age of twenty years old. The disease occurs in approximately one out of every two hundred and fifty Americans, making it relatively uncommon. It is less common in people of American-American and Latino descent and more common in people of European ancestry. Men and women are affected equally.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes include weight loss, extreme thirst, frequent urination, and dehydration. Other symptoms may include bedwetting, blurry vision, a rapid heartbeat, fatigue, vomiting, and nausea. Symptoms usually come on fairly quickly within a few days to a few weeks. Extreme hunger, mood changes, irritability, and food cravings may also occur. Lightheadedness when standing up may also occur due to low blood sugar levels. Numbness or tingling in the legs is an early symptom of diabetes.