Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic diseases. They affect on how your body regulates glucose, but have different root causes. Let’s take a look at the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

• 3 million Americans have type 1 diabetes vs 22 million Americans have type 2 diabetes;
• T1d usually appears before age 40 vs T2d generally appears after age 40;
• The body doesn’t produce insulin when you have t1d vs the body produces insulin, but it doesn’t work efficiently if you have t2d;
• T1d is unknown but likely linked to environmental/genetic triggers vs family history, poor diet, low activity level and obesity increase risk of t2d;
• People with type 1 take insulin shots vs people with type 2 - oral medications, lifestyle changes, sometimes treated with insulin.
• In type 1 diabetes symptoms usually can be seen in childhood or young adulthood vs type 2 diabetes symptoms may not exhibit before diagnosis.

Even if it is impossible to cure the disease itself, proper management and monitoring can get your glucose level back to normal and prevent serious complications. And if you use Freestyle libre or Dexcom sensor to monitor your blood sugar, remember to protect it with an adhesive patch.