Which Is Worse, Type 1 or 2 Diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• Increased thirst 
• Increased hunger, even though people are eating
• Increased urination
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections
• Sores/cuts/bruises that do not heal
• Darkened skin, often in the armpits and neck
• Numbness, tingling, or pain in the feet or hands (more common in type 2)
• Unexplained weight loss (more common in type 1)

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes each have different causes and risk factors.

Type 1 Diabetes Causes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction in which the body attacks itself and destroys beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin so little to no insulin is produced by the pancreas. 

Risk factors for developing type 1 diabetes include: 

• Genetics/family history
• Triggers, such as viruses
• Age: more likely to occur in children, teens, and young adults, though it can develop at any age
• Ethnicity: Caucasians are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans

Type 2 Diabetes Causes

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, is caused by several factors, including genetics and lifestyle factors such as being overweight or obese and physical inactivity.

Factors that can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes include:

• Age over 45 years
• High blood pressure
• History of gestational diabetes 
• Giving birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more
• History of heart disease or stroke
• Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol or high triglycerides
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Depression 

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diagnosed with the following tests: 

• A1C test 
• Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test 
• Glucose challenge test
• Random plasma glucose (RPG) test 
• Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are treated with lifestyle modifications and medications when needed. 

Lifestyle changes to manage diabetes include:

• Check blood glucose levels daily
• Manage A1C (average blood glucose level over the past 3 months)
• Maintain healthy cholesterol levels
• Keep blood pressure in check
• Follow a diabetes meal plan as recommended by your doctor or nutritionist
  • Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean poultry and fish, and low-fat dairy
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Choose foods that are low-calorie, low-fat, low-sugar, and low-salt
• Don’t smoke
• Exercise regularly 
• Get adequate sleep
• Manage stress/practice relaxation techniques 
• Take prescribed diabetes medications 

Medications used to treat diabetes include: 

• Insulin 
  • People who have type 1 diabetes need to take insulin shots or wear an insulin pump every day to manage blood sugar levels
• Meglitinides such as repaglinide (Prandin) and nateglinide (Starlix)
• Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors such as miglitol (Glyset) and acarbose (Precose)
• Thiazolidinediones such as pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia)
• DPP- 4 Inhibitors such as sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), alogliptin (Nesina), and linagliptin (Tradjenta)
• Sulfonylureas such as glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta,  Glynase), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol, Glucotrol XL), tolbutamide, and tolazamide
• Biguanides such as metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, and Riomet)
• Dopamine receptor agonists such as bromocriptine (cycloset)
• Bile acid sequestrants such as colesevelam (Welchol)
• SGLT2 inhibitors such as dapagliflozin (Farxiga), canagliflozin (Invokana), empagliflozin (Jardiance), and ertugliflozin (Steglatro)
• GLP-1 receptor agonists such as lixisenatide (Adlyxin), exenatide (Bydureon, Byetta), semaglutide (Ozempic), albiglutide (Tanzeum), dulaglutide (Trulicity), and liraglutide (Victoza)
• Amylin analog such as pramlintide acetate (Symlin)
• Combination medicines, which may be made up of more than one medication in the above classes

If lifestyle changes and medications do not help control diabetes, other treatments may include: 

• Weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) for some patients who are obese
• Artificial pancreas