Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own insulin-producing pancreatic cells.

 Most patients must be treated with insulin for their entire lives to prevent the blood sugar glucose from reaching levels that damage tissues and threaten life. 

Although Type 1 diabetes accounts for only 5 per cent to 10 per cent of all diabetes cases, it usually affects many more years of patients’ lives than the Type 2 variety.

Long called juvenile diabetes because the majority of cases are diagnosed in children and teenagers, Type 1 diabetes can also start in adulthood, prompting the name change to Type 1.

Unlike the more gradual onset of Type 2 diabetes, the signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes often develop rather quickly. 

They can include increased thirst, frequent urination and bed-wetting in children who previously did not do that. 

Other signs include extreme hunger, unintentional weight loss, irritability, fatigue, weakness, blurred vision, and in women and girls, vaginal yeast infection.

The disease is diagnosed by blood tests for glucose and a substance called A1C, which indicates blood glucose levels over time. 

It is true that a high level of psychological stress in families has been associated with an increased risk of obesity, which can raise insulin resistance and a greater demand for the hormone. 

But the new study, published in the journal Diabetologia, took body mass index into account, suggesting that being overweight did not influence a child’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.

Keeping blood glucose levels as near to normal as possible through injections of insulin or use of an insulin pump, along with controlled diet and exercise, is the surest way to prevent or delay complications of Type 1 diabetes. 

The NEW YORK TIMES