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Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. This type of diabetes occurs in about 1 in 20 pregnancies. During pregnancy your body makes hormones that keep insulin from doing its job. To make up for this, your body makes extra insulin. But in some women this extra insulin is not enough, so they get gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away when the pregnancy is over. Still, women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Hispanic/Latina women, especially when they are overweight, have higher rates of gestational diabetes than non-Hispanic white women. What are the three types of diabetes Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, IDDM, or juvenile diabetes) usually starts during childhood or adolescence, and accounts for approximately 5 - 10% of all cases of diabetes. Because insulin production is virtually nonexistent, insulin injections are usually required. Specific risk factors for this type of diabetes are unclear. Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, NIDDM) accounts for approximately 90 - 95% of all cases of diabetes. This is a more controllable form of diabetes which usually occurs in adults ages 40 and above. It is more common in women than in men, and it is almost always found in individuals who are overweight. Gestational Diabetes: Between 2 - 5% of pregnant women develop a temporary form of diabetes known as gestational diabetes. This occurs among Hispanic women almost twice as often than among non-Hispanic women. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes later in life. What are the risk factors for diabetes? The major risk factors associated with diabetes are:
Can we prevent diabetes? Recent studies point to the fact that moderate diet and exercise can delay and possibly prevent Type 2 diabetes. As Hispanics we are all aware that diabetes is a very common problem in our communities. The best way to deal with diabetes is to try to prevent its appearance in the first place, which is most easily done with Type 2 diabetes. Although its causes are not well understood, insufficient exercise and being overweight are the greatest risk factors for all of us. Therefore, to the extent that we exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight we can do a great deal to block the appearance of this disease. If diabetes appears despite these efforts, we should understand that many of the complications of diabetes can be prevented by paying careful attention to how we take care of ourselves and by working closely with our health care providers. With diabetes, almost more than any other disease, our attitude day by day will determine how the disease will affect the quality of our lives. What are the symptoms of diabetes?
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