What is Diabetes?

5% of Kenyans have diabetes, and many more have pre-diabetes, a precursor, and they do not know it

Type 1 Diabetes

This type is usually diagnosed in kids, teens, and young adults, but it can happen at any age. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your pancreas doesn’t make insulin. This means you have to take insulin every day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 5% to 10% of people with diabetes have this type.

Type 2 Diabetes

This type can also appear at any age, but it’s more common if you’re over 40. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or your body isn’t using the insulin well. Around 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have this type. While it has historically affected mainly adults, the rate of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is rising.

Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy, some women who don’t have diabetes develop gestational diabetes. It usually disappears after the baby is born, but having gestational diabetes increases your and your baby’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later.

Prediabetes

As the name suggests, prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In this stage, your blood sugar levels are higher than they should be but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2. The CDC says that 96 million adults in the United States have prediabetes. That’s more than a third of adults. Unfortunately, more than 84% don’t know they have it.