What is Diabetes
Type 1 ?
If you are looking
for information on children and diabetes, the chances are
you need to know about diabetes type 1. This is the less
common type of diabetes and is usually diagnosed in
childhood or early adult life.
Type 1 diabetes is
a disorder of the body’s immune system that prevents it
from producing insulin. The beta cells in the pancreas,
that are responsible for insulin production, are attacked
and killed by the body’s immune system.
There is no clear
understanding of what causes this attack on the beta
cells, but medical experts believe it is triggered by the
body’s reaction to a viral or other infection. This seems
to happen most frequently in children, and diabetes is
the result.
What is the
difference between Juvenile Diabetes and Diabetes Type 1
?
There is no difference between them. Type 1
sugar diabetes used to be known as juvenile
onset diabetes because it is
usually diagnosed in children, teenagers or young adults.
This is a fairly misleading term however, as juvenile
diabetes symptoms can be experienced at any age, although
they are usually diagnosed before the age of
40.
Because people with diabetes type 1 need to take
insulin in order to stay alive, this disease is also
often referred to as insulin dependent
diabetes. Other names for type 1
diabetes include pediatric
diabetes and childhood
diabetes.
What is the Treatment for Diabetes Type 1
?
Type 1 diabetes sufferers need regular
insulin doses
each day. They can’t take insulin orally as it will be
broken down by the digestive juices in the stomach,
making it ineffective. Reducing juvenile diabetes
symptoms may take up to four insulin injections each day,
or the same amount of insulin delivered to the body via a
pump.
People with diabetes type 1 also need to
regulate their blood sugar, which means regulating diet
and exercise and taking a blood test by pricking their
fingers several times a day to determine whether their
blood sugar is too high or too low.
It can be very difficult for parents to regulate
the blood sugar of their children, and diabetes is an
issue that many schools know little about, so some
education and training is needed to ensure that young
people with type 1 diabetes get the support they
need.
What happens in
type 1 diabetes when blood sugar is too high
?
If a type 1 diabetic’s blood sugar level is too
high they may have a hyperglycaemic
reaction. When this is caused by
eating too many calories, blood sugar may increase
steadily over time, and the symptoms may not be obvious,
so regular monitoring is essential. If a hyperglycaemic
reaction is caused by missing an insulin dose, it will
happen much more quickly and the symptoms will be
obvious.
Symptoms of a hyperglycaemic reaction include
thirst and increased urination, progressing to blurred
vision and dizziness and potentially ending in losing
consciousness.
Long term high blood sugar levels can lead to
damage to the eyes, heart, kidneys, blood vessels and
nerves. If the blood sugar is very high, over 250mg/dl
and the patient becomes dehydrated, they risk life
threatening conditions such as hyperosmoler
state and diabetic
ketoacidosis.
What happens in
type 1 diabetes when blood sugar is too low
?
If a diabetic’s blood sugar becomes too low,
they can experience a hypoglycaemic reaction. This
happens when there is too much insulin and not enough
glucose in the blood, which can be triggered by eating a
meal with lots of simple sugars, by taking certain
medications, or by intense exercise.
Early symptoms of a hypoglycaemic reaction
include confusion, dizziness, trembling, headaches and
irritability. As the reaction becomes more intense, other
symptoms such as poor co-ordination and numbness in the
mouth may be experienced. At this stage the reaction can
be treated by eating sources of glucose, such as glucose
tablets, sugar or fruit juice, at regular
intervals.
When a hypoglycaemic reaction reaches the point
where the patient passes out, they will need a
glucagons
injection. An ambulance should
always be called for a severe attack as the patient might
slip into a coma.
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