Diabetes is defined as an elevated blood glucose, but there are many causes of an elevated blood glucose. Diabetes is classified into different types, based on the various causes. The treatment will vary, depending on what is causing the problem. It is important to know what type of diabetes you have because your type of diabetes might need to be managed differently from someone else's.
This section will help you learn about the types of diabetes, and what kind of diabetes you have.
- Type 1 diabetes is when the body loses the ability to make insulin or can only make a very small amount of insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by an autoimmune process, and your body's immune system mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells. About 6% of individuals with diabetes in the U.S. have type 1 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes is caused by a dual defect of resistance to the action of insulin combined with an inability to make enough insulin to overcome the resistance. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and represents 95% of diabetes worldwide.
- Gestational diabetes is diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy.
- Other Types of diabetes is a miscellaneous category that includes unusual or rare inherited or acquired causes of diabetes. This represents the minority of people with diabetes.
Classification table
The Classification Table is a quick way to look up the causes of diabetes.