WHAT IS DIABETES?-Type One

There are three types of Diabetes:

Type one

Type two

Gestational

Type one diabetes is a lifelong disease that develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin. Insulin lets blood sugar--also called Glucose--enter your body’s cells, where it is used for energy. This type of diabetes, also known as insulin---dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM], is an autoimmune disease. That means the body’s immune system turns inexplicably against its own cells, destroying them as if they were foreign invaders.

Type one diabetes is sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes because it usually develops in children and adolescents, most often around puberty. it’s the most common serious chronic disorder in children and adolescents. Type one can also develop in adulthood, although this is uncommon.

Type one diabetes is a lifelong disease that develops when the pancreas stops producing .insulin. Insulin lets blood sugar [glucose] enter your body’s cells, where it is used for energy. Without insulin the amount of sugar in the blood rises above a normal level, and the cells do not get the sugar they need. Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves throughout your body and increase your risk of eye, heart, blood vessel, nerve, and kidney diseases. If your blood sugar level becomes very high, a life-threatening chemical imbalance [diabetic ketoacidosis] can develop.

About five percent to ten percent of all people with diabetes have type one. Type two diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. Other forms of the disease include gestational and secondary diabetes.

Some people inherit a tendency for type one diabetes. People who have a parent, brother, or sister with type one diabetes are more likely than other people to develop the disease. But most people with type one diabetes do not have a family history of it. Even with a family history of diabetes you might not develop the disease unless you are exposed to something in the environment that triggers it. Experts debate whether enteroviral infections, especially Coxsackle B, and not being breast fed beyond 3 months of age may raise the risk for type one diabetes.

Other factors that increase the risk are being white and having islet cells antibodies in your blood.

A health professional diagnoses diabetes using a medical history , a physical examination, and blood tests to measure glucose. Some people are diagnosed with type one diabetes because they have diabetic ketoacidosis.

The treatment goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. For type one diabetes that usually means replacing insulin to offset the body’s inability to produce it .

Symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, and sometimes increased appitite. These symptoms usually appear over a few days to weeks.Occaisionally some people notice symptoms after an illness such as the flu.

Next: Type Two Diabetes:

Source: