What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition that changes how your body handles blood sugar.
It doesn’t “go away” — once diagnosed, it becomes part of your life. The good news: with the right care, it’s something you live with — not something that stops you from living.
What’s the issue with diabetes?
A quick look at what should happen — and what happens instead.
Normal process
- Sugar enters cells and muscles for energy
- Insulin works properly
- Blood sugar stays in range
In diabetes
- Sugar builds up in the blood
- Insulin doesn’t work as it should
- Blood sugar becomes too high (hyperglycemia)
Why this mattersLong stretches of high blood sugar can cause serious — and sometimes life-threatening — problems if diabetes isn’t treated. That’s why daily management is such a big deal.
Types of diabetes
Most people fit into one of these. For some, it takes a little time before the type becomes clear — that’s normal too.
🩸
Type 1 Diabetes
- The pancreas produces little or no insulin
- Insulin is the hormone that keeps blood sugar steady and helps glucose move into cells and muscles for energy
- The body’s own immune system mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas
- This loss of insulin production can happen quickly or gradually
🔵
Type 2 Diabetes
- The pancreas still produces insulin, but it isn’t enough or doesn’t work well
- The body doesn’t respond to insulin properly (insulin resistance)
- And/or the pancreas doesn’t release enough insulin
- Either way, too much sugar ends up in the blood (hyperglycemia)
🧬
Monogenic Diabetes (MODY)
- The rarest type of diabetes
- Usually caused by a change in a single gene
- Often runs in families
- Researchers have linked more than 30 genes to MODY — these gene changes affect how the body produces insulin
Differences by age and type
Both Type 1 and Type 2 cause high blood sugar, but they show up differently.
🩸 Type 1
🔵 Type 2
Cause
Autoimmune reaction — insulin-producing cells are destroyed
Insulin resistance and/or too little insulin production
Usual age at diagnosis
Early childhood or early puberty
Mid to late puberty
Insulin therapy
Always required
May or may not be required
What about MODY and rarer types?Not every diagnosis fits neatly into Type 1 or Type 2. If yours feels different, your endocrinologist can help you understand which type you have and what it means for you.
If anything is worrying you, contact your medical team.TeenHealthInsight is a health education website — not a substitute for medical advice. Any questions or worries about your medication, devices, or daily care should be brought to your doctor. Learn here, decide there — always loop in your diabetes team before changing anything you do.