According to the CDC, just over 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes and even more overwhelming than that, 1 in 3 Americans are pre-diabetic. Which is why understanding the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes is so important. Let’s dive in so we can better educate our patients on the prevention and treatment of this disease.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is when the body doesn’t produce 1) any insulin, 2) not enough insulin, or 3) not properly functioning insulin to carry glucose into the cells. Therefore, the glucose is left floating around in the blood which can lead to a number of problems.
What is Insulin?
In order to understand Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2, we first need to understand the role of insulin in the body. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas and is vital in converting the glucose we eat into usable energy for the body. If there is not enough insulin secreted around meal times, then glucose is not able to be properly converted. It will then be left free floating in the blood stream. This extra glucose that isn’t being used can lead to a backup of sugar in the blood. Which can then lead to vascular disease, occlusions and even blindness.
Type 1 vs Type 2
In Type 1 Diabetes, the patient will produce little to no insulin naturally in their body. Because of this, Type 1 Diabetes is usually diagnosed early on in childhood.
With Type 2 Diabetes, the patient is able to produce some insulin but it either isn’t enough or it’s not functioning properly. Which means in most cases, it goes undetected since the body is able to do some or most of its glucose carrying job, but not all of it. Type 2 Diabetes is usually diagnosed later on in adulthood.
Type 1 Patient Presentation
Patients with Type 1 Diabetes are going to see symptoms more abruptly and typically at a younger age than those with Type 2 Diabetes. The primary presentation of Type 1 includes the 3 P’s: Polyuria, Polydipsia, and Polyphagia.
Polyuria is the excessive amount of urine production. It is due to the kidneys attempting to filter out all that extra glucose floating around in the blood.
Polydipsia is excessive thirst and is caused by polyuria. Since your body is losing excessive amounts of fluid via urine, it’s constantly trying to replete it’s fluid supply. It does this by signaling the brain to drink more water any chance it gets.
Polyphagia is excessive hunger and is caused by glucose not being converted to usable energy. Because of this, your body thinks it needs more glucose in the form of food to be used as energy. What it doesn’t know is that it already has plenty of glucose from food! It is just lacking insulin to carry the glucose into the cell.
Type 1 Treatment
When your body isn’t producing any insulin, or only a very small amount of insulin, then the only treatment is insulin injections.
Before giving insulin or any other medications, be sure to visit A Guide to the 10 Rights of Medication Administration.
Type 1 Prevention
With Type 1 Diabetes, there really isn’t any prevention like there is with Type 2. The body simply can’t do its job without insulin. At this time, there isn’t a way to prevent this from happening.
For more information on patient education, visit Patient Education: A Guide to Treating and Managing Type 1 Diabetes.
Type 2 Patient Presentation
Patients with Type 2 Diabetes aren’t going to see symptoms nearly as fast as patients with Type 1 Diabetes because their body is able to do most of the glucose converting job, just not all of it. Remember, insulin is being produced, but not enough or it’s not functioning to its full potential.
A patient with Type 2 Diabetes is likely going to be overweight. They are going to experience poor vascularization leading to slow wound healing. Often times, patients arrive at their doctors office with another complaint and after testing are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
Visit Nursing Fundamentals: A Guide to Wounds for more information.
Type 2 Treatment
Since the body is producing insulin, even though it’s not enough, there are other treatment options unlike Type 1 Diabetes. The patient should be taught proper dieting and exercise. If this isn’t working, then oral medication can be considered. The last line of treatment for Type 2 Diabetes is insulin injections. And even with the administration of insulin, the patient should still be dieting and exercising to get their body in the best physical shape for natural insulin production.
Type 2 Prevention
For patients who are pre-diabetic, meaning they are on the tract to developing Type 2 Diabetes, the prevention is nearly the same as the first line of treatment; diet and exercise. Patient education is so important for pre-diabetic patients and a consult with a dietitian and/or a diabetic nurse educator is imperative.
For more information on patient education, visit Patient Education: A Guide to Treating and Managing Type 2 Diabetes.
In Conclusion…
Diabetes is a very serious disease that can lead to major health issues associated with hyperglycemia (too high of blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (too low of blood sugar). Including but not limited to; diabetic ketoacidosis (aka DKA), diabetic coma, vascular disease, vascular occlusion, limb amputation, decreased kidney function, diabetic retinopathy leading to blindness, and eventually death if left untreated.
Because of the severity of this fairly common disease, us healthcare professionals need to be well versed on this topic so we can educate our patients and prevent serious complications.
Be sure to visit the rest of the Nursing Fundamentals Series:
Plus be sure to check out the following for more NCLEX study prep!
- How To Don and Doff PPE for Medical Professionals
- Important Lab Values to Know for NCLEX
- How to Pass the NCLEX in 75 Questions
Want to know more in depth about Diabetes? Comment below!
Referenced National Diabetes Statistic Report by the CDC.