Type 1 and type 2 diabetes defined.

Type 1 diabetes usually affects children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes means that the body is not able to make insulin on its own. Only a small amount of all people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes affects both children and adults. Type 2 diabetes means that either your body doesn’t make enough insulin or the cells in your body don’t use it correctly. Most people who have diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

You may have also heard about 2 other types of diabetes, gestational (jes-tay-shun-ul) diabetes and prediabetes. Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar during pregnancy. Prediabetes means a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes.