Type 1 diabetes (5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases) develops when the body's immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make the insulin that regulates blood glucose.
Type 1 usually strikes children and young adults but can occur at any age. Risk factors include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors.
Type 2 diabetes (90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes) usually begins as insulin resistance, where the cells do not use insulin properly. The pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin.
Factors leading to type 2 diabetes are obesity, aging, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, family history of diabetes, and race/ethnicity (certain races are at higher risk, including African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans, and some Asian Americans.)
Type 2 diabetes is being diagnosed in increasing numbers in children and adolescents.
