With the recent explosion of type 2 diabetes, sometimes it is easy to forget about the other forms of diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes. In many cases, type 1 diabetes can cause just as much long term damage yet be more difficult to manage. Type 1 is considered an autoimmune disease because the immune system attacks the islets of langerhans in the pancreas, destroying the body’s ability to produce insulin. Insulin is required to transfer glucose, the body’s energy source, from the blood to the body’s individual cells. To survive, a person must receive insulin injections.

Who does it strike?

In total, type 1cases only account for 5-10% of all diabetes cases, approximately 1.15 to 2.3 million people. Comparatively, type 2 accounts for over 20 million people. However, type I is the most common form of diabetes in children and young adults under 20 years old.

For example, to get some idea about the scope of the problem in children, in 2002-2003, approximately 15,000 new cases of type 1 were reported compared with 3,700 new cases of type 2. This is over a 4 to 1 ratio. Because of its heavy toll and proclivity to strike children and young adults, the condition has historically been termed juvenile diabetes. Type 1 does not discriminate based on sex, striking males and females equally. However, unlike type 2, type 1 is more prevalent in whites than minorities.

Causes and Symptoms

The exact cause of the disease is not known nor fully understood. Scientists believe a range of genetic, autoimmune and environmental factors are possible causes. Viral infections are also thought to be a possible trigger.

Type 1 symptoms tend to develop rapidly, usually over several weeks or months. Contrast this to type 2 which can take years. Common signs, in no particular order, are increased hunger, increased urination, increased thirst, weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision.

Despite its rather quick onset, diagnosis and treatment must also begin rapidly. Remember, type 1 is a condition where your body is not producing insulin. As such, you need to ensure that you do get insulin or your blood sugar can rise to the point of causing a diabetic coma, if not death.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis requires one of three blood tests, all of which measure the level of blood sugar (glucose) in your blood.

1. Fasting Blood Glucose Test. Generally, this test is the preferred test for juveniles. Like the name suggests, blood is drawn after an 8 hour fast, usually in the morning. A blood glucose level of 126 mg/dL is considered diabetes. Usually a confirmatory test is done as well.
2. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). After drinking a glucose enriched drink and waiting 2 hours, a patient’s blood is drawn. If the glucose level is 200mg/dL or more, it is considered a positive diabetes diagnosis. A confirmatory test is also done.
3. Random Test. The last test is a bit more uncommon. It is random, because it can be taken at any time during the day. Again, if the glucose level is above 200 mg/dL a positive diagnosis is considered. However, it is only positive if other diabetes symptoms are also present.

Treatment

There is no cure for type 1 diabetes. The standard treatment routine is moderate exercise, a healthy diet and proper insulin treatment. Daily monitoring of blood glucose levels is usually required. Various other natural and alternative treatments are also thought to contribute to increasing management of the disease.

Major Complications

The major issue with all forms of diabetes is that increased levels of glucose in the blood causes a myriad of short and long term complications. Spikes is blood sugar also cause damage over time, not just uniformly elevated glucose levels. Most notably, complications include cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart attack, etc.), kidney failure, nervous disorders, eye issue (cataracts, glaucoma, blindness). Unfortunately, the list goes on.

There you have it. Type 1 diabetes in a nutshell.

Author: Erich Schultz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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