Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as
juvenile diabetes. Type 1diabetes is referred to as an
autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results when the
body’s system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns against a part of the body.
In diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells (pancreas) and thus the
body's
ability to produce insulin.
A person who has type 1diabetes must work very hard to keep blood sugar levels in an acceptable range, and must take insulin daily to live.
Currently scientists do not know exactly what causes the body’s immune system to attack the beta
cells, but they believe that autoimmune, genetic, environmental factors, and possibly viruses are
involved.
Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes in the United States. It develops most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age.
Symptoms of type 1diabetes usually
develop over a short period, although beta cell destruction
can begin years earlier. Symptoms resulting from blood sugar levels being too high or too low may
include
increased thirst and urination, hunger,
blurred vision, and extreme
fatigue.
If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person with type 1 diabetes can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma.
