What is Diabetes?

Diabetes in Detail

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body stops producing insulin altogether. This usually happens when the body’s own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections, or use an insulin pump to survive.

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is still unknown, but we do know that it can run in families and be triggered by viruses. It usually has nothing to do with an unhealthy lifestyle or being overweight.

Type 1 diabetes mostly occurs in children and young adults, although older adults can also be affected. Currently it accounts for 10-15 percent of diabetes cases in Australia.¹

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make enough insulin, and/or doesn’t use insulin properly. If caught early, type 2 diabetes can often be managed through diet and exercise alone; sometimes oral medications are also needed to boost the amount of insulin in the body. However, as the disease progresses, some people with type 2 diabetes need to take injections of insulin.

While there is no single cause of type 2 diabetes, there are well-known risk factors, such as a family history of the condition, age (the risk increases as we get older), obesity, inactivity, and some other conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Type 2 diabetes mostly occurs in mature adults, although it is increasingly occurring in younger people and children. It currently accounts for 85-90 percent of diabetes in Australia.¹

Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of diabetes that affects pregnant women. It is thought to occur when the hormones produced during pregnancy block the action of the mother’s insulin. It can usually be managed through diet, but some women may need insulin via injections or an insulin pump to stay healthy.

Gestational diabetes usually disappears after pregnancy, although some women may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes occurs in 5 percent of all pregnant women.² Those most at risk include women over 30 years of age who have a family history of type 2 diabetes and are overweight.