Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes or juvenile diabetes, as it was previously called is a condition where blood levels of glucose are higher than normal because the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that that gives the human body cells the signal to absorb glucose from the blood stream. Therefore, it is quite obvious that the lack of insulin causes the elevation of blood glucose levels.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. The cause of this condition hasn’t been well defined yet. However, there is enough evidence that shows that Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. For some reason or reasons the immune system of the body attacks the islet cells of the pancreas, which are the cells that produce insulin and destry them. As a result, the body looses it ability to produce insulin. Several factors have been said to trigger this response from the immune system like viral infections and enviromental factors.

The complications of Type 1 diabetes are quite serious and include cardiovascular disease, blindness, nerves damage and nephropathy. However, if treated correctly, diabetics suffering from type 1 diabetes live a long and happy life. So, what do I meen by treated correctly? The treatment involves medication, which in this case is the use of insulin, proper diet (we will be talking more about this in individual posts) and a healthy lifestyle in general.