About Type 1 Diabetes

21 Jul

Posted by admin as diabetes

Your body gets energy by making glucose from foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. To use this glucose, your body needs insulin. Iinsulin is a hormone that helps your body control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.

Complications

Having type 1 diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications. Some complications of type 1 diabetes include: heart disease (cardiovascular disease), blindness (retinopathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), and kidney damage (nephropathy). Learn more about these complications and how to cope with them.

What are the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes?

Glucose is one of the key fuels used by the cells of the body for its energy needs.

The brain and nervous system use only glucose, while most other cells can also utilise fat for energy.

The warning signs of type 1 diabetes include extreme thirst; frequent urination; drowsiness or lethargy; sugar in urine; sudden vision changes; increased appetite; sudden weight loss; fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath; heavy, labored breathing; stupor; and unconsciousness.

Causes of Type 1 diabetes

To understand type 1 diabetes, first you must understand how glucose is normally processed in the body.

Glucose is a main source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and other tissues. Glucose comes from two major sources: the food you eat and your liver.

Treatment of Type 1 diabetes

The immediate goals of treatment are to treat diabetic ketoacidosis and high blood glucose levels. Because of the sudden onset and severity of symptoms in type 1 diabetes, treatment for newly diagnosed people may involve hospitalization.

The long-term goals of treatment are to prolong life, reduce symptoms, and prevent diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney failure, and amputation of limbs.

Insulin Treatment for Diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes aren’t the only ones who use insulin. Learn how insulin is used to treat various forms of diabetes.

Cure for Type 1 diabetes

Diabetes type 1 is caused by the destruction of sufficient beta cells in the body; these cells, which are found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, produce and secrete insulin, the single hormone responsible for allowing glucose to enter from the blood into cells, and also the hormone amylin, another hormone required for glucose homeostasis, as well as the counterregulatory hormone glucagon which is secreted by the alpha cells.