Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. Your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it makes.
Type 1: The immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas, where insulin is made. It’s unclear what causes this attack.
Type 2: occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin, and sugar builds up in your blood. It’s the most common type—about 90 to 95% of people living with diabetes have type 2.
The general symptoms of diabetes include:
increased hunger
increased thirst
weight loss
frequent urination
blurry vision
extreme fatigue
Certain factors increase your risk for diabetes.
You’re more likely to get type 1 diabetes if you’re a child or teenager, you have a parent or sibling with the condition, or you carry certain genes that are linked to the disease.
Your risk for type 2 diabetes increases if you:
are overweight
are age 45 or older
have a parent or sibling with the condition
aren’t physically active
have had gestational diabetes
have prediabetes
high BP and high cholesterol