You know the stage of diabetes through blood tests (like A1C, fasting glucose) and symptom assessment, with stages often categorized by blood sugar levels (normal, prediabetes, diabetes) and type (Type 1 autoimmune vs. Type 2 insulin resistance), but a doctor's diagnosis using specific tests for antibodies, insulin levels, and ketone checks is crucial to confirm the type and guide treatment, especially as Type 1 has early autoimmune stages missed by symptoms, while Type 2 progresses slowly with subtle signs like thirst, frequent urination, and slow-healing sores.
Type 1 diabetes stages: a timeline
Type 1 diabetes is considered worse than type 2 because it is an autoimmune disease, so there isn't a cure. Also, in a 2010 report⁴ from the UK, it's estimated that the life expectancy of people with type 2 diabetes can be reduced by up to 10 years, while type 1 can reduce life expectancy by 20 years or more.
The same diagnostic criteria are used for both types of diabetes. However, blood tests (i.e. autoantibody tests) may help clarify whether a patient has type 1 versus type 2 diabetes. How is it treated? Patients with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin.
Early signs of type 2 diabetes often include increased thirst, frequent urination, constant tiredness, increased hunger, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, frequent infections (like UTIs or yeast infections), and dark skin patches in body folds (acanthosis nigricans), though many people have no symptoms initially. These symptoms happen as high blood sugar makes the kidneys work harder to flush out sugar, causing dehydration and other issues.
Type 2 diabetes is when your body can't make enough insulin or your body can't use the insulin well (insulin resistance). Insulin helps your cells use sugar (glucose) for energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in your blood. This leads to high blood sugar.
There's no cure for diabetes and no way to completely get rid of it. However, diabetes can be reversed in most people. Reversing diabetes means carefully managing blood sugars to a point where medications are no longer necessary, and staying at that manageable point through a healthy routine of diet and exercise.
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia
Brittle diabetes is diabetes that's especially difficult to manage and often disrupts your everyday life. People with brittle diabetes have severe swings in glucose (sugar) levels. The swings can cause frequent episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and/or high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
The Early Warning Signs
Research indicates that approximately 37–50 % of individuals with type 2 diabetes experience sleep disturbances, with the prevalence of insomnia in this group exceeding 30 %, a rate substantially higher than that observed in the general population [10,11].
The main danger of missing insulin doses with T2D is that over time it increases your risk of long-term complications of diabetes, including damage to your kidneys, eyes, and nerves. You won't necessarily “feel” this damage at the start, but it is happening.
Until researchers unravel the mystery of diabetes progression, doctors recommend the proven approach of exercise, an eating plan, and weight loss (if needed). This manages blood sugar levels and may help delay progression of type 2 diabetes.
No, developing type 2 diabetes is not your fault; it's a complex condition resulting from a mix of genetics, environment, societal factors, and lifestyle, with many contributing elements beyond your personal control, so focus on management and support rather than blame. While weight, diet, and activity play roles, factors like family history, ethnicity, age, and stress also heavily influence risk, meaning you didn't choose your genes or the world around you.
How long does it take for kidneys to become affected? Almost all patients with Type I diabetes develop some evidence of functional change in the kidneys within two to five years of the diagnosis. About 30 to 40 percent progress to more serious kidney disease, usually within about 10 to 30 years.
Ten key warning signs of diabetes include increased thirst and urination, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, unexplained weight loss, tingling/numbness in hands or feet, frequent infections, and sometimes dark skin patches (acanthosis nigricans), all indicating high blood sugar levels needing medical attention.
A normal HbA1c is generally below 5.7% for all adults, but levels naturally tend to rise slightly with age, with upper limits increasing for older adults (e.g., around 6.0-6.5% for those 60+) to avoid hypoglycemia, though specific targets depend on individual health, with 5.7-6.4% indicating prediabetes and 6.5% or higher suggesting diabetes.
Drink more water
“Water helps your kidneys filter out excess sugar through urine,” says Khan. “So, the more hydrated you are, the more urine production you'll have, which flushes out sugar in the body.” Always opt for water instead of sugary drinks, like soda and juice.
How Long Can People with Diabetes Live? According to estimates from Diabetes UK, type 2 diabetes can reduce life expectancy by up to 10 years, while type 1 diabetes may shorten it by more than 20 years. However, advancements in diabetes care over recent decades have significantly increased life expectancy.
“The best way to reverse type 2 diabetes is to decrease your body's resistance to the actions of the insulin made by the pancreas,” she said. “For most people, this means trying to attain a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and minimizing sugars and excessive carbohydrates in your diet.”
Having obesity is the biggest risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes as this can cause insulin resistance. But not everyone who is living with obesity or overweight develops type 2 diabetes as it is also linked to family history (genetics). Around 10% of people with type 2 diabetes have a healthy BMI.
Lack of sleep causes less insulin to be released in your body after you eat while your body secrets more stress hormones, which helps you stay awake, but insulin cannot do its job effectively. Too much glucose stays in the bloodstream, which increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Over time your pancreas can't keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar is damaging to the body. It can cause other serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Claiming benefit and diabetes
Some people with diabetes may be able to claim benefit for themselves or someone they're supporting. This includes Disability Living Allowance for children and Personal Independence Payment for adults.