Type 1 diabetes mellitus, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is much less common than type 2 diabetes and typically affects younger individuals. It is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces insufficient or no insulin, a hormone required to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells for producing energy.

Numerous factors, such as genetics and some viruses, can contribute to type 1 diabetes. Usually, type 1 diabetes appears during childhood or adolescence, but it also can develop in adults.

In spite of active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment of type 1 diabetes is focused on managing blood sugar levels with insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.

What are the Symptoms?

The signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes can appear suddenly and may include:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Bed-wetting in children who previously didn’t wet the bed during the night
• Extreme hunger
• Unintended weight loss
• Irritability and other mood changes
• Fatigue and weakness
• Blurred vision

What are the Causes?

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is still unknown. Generally, type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s own immune system, which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses, mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells (islets of Langerhans) in the pancreas. Other possible causes comprise:

• Genetics
• Exposure to viruses and other environmental factors

What is Insulin’s Role in Type 1 Diabetes?

Once a considerable number of islet cells (insulin-producing cells) are destroyed, the body will produce little or no insulin. Insulin is the main anabolic hormone of the body. It is made by the pancreas that allows the body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the food that you eat for energy or to store glucose for future use.

Quick Facts about Insulin:

• The pancreas secretes insulin into the bloodstream.
• Insulin circulates, allowing sugar to enter the cells.
• Insulin lowers the amount of sugar in your bloodstream.
• As your blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from your pancreas.

What is Glucose’s Role in Type 1 Diabetes?

Glucose is a simple sugar which is an important energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates. In type 1 diabetes, there’s no insulin to let glucose into the cells, so sugar builds up in your bloodstream, causing life-threatening complications.

Quick Facts about Glucose:

• Glucose comes from two major sources: food and your liver.
• Sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it enters cells with the help of insulin.
• Your liver stores glucose as glycogen.
• When your glucose levels are low, such as when you haven’t eaten in a while, the liver breaks down the stored glycogen into glucose to keep your glucose levels within a normal range.

What are the Risk Factors?

Common risk factors of type 1 diabetes include:

• Family history: If you have a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes, you are relatively at an increased risk for developing the condition.

• Genetics: The presence of certain genes indicates an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
• Age: Even though type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, it occurs at two noticeable peaks. The first peak occurs between the age of 4 and 7, and the second between the age of 10 and 14.

What are the Complications Associated with Type 1 Diabetes?

Over time, complications of type 1 diabetes may affect some of the major organs in your body, including heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Diabetes complications can be disabling or even life-threatening. Hence, maintaining a normal blood sugar level is important to reduce the risk of complications in the future.

Some of the common complications related to type 1 diabetes include:

Heart and Blood Vessel Disease: Diabetes significantly increases your risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke, narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure.

Nerve Damage (Neuropathy): Excess sugar can be injurious to the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves, especially in the legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward. Inadequately controlled blood sugar may cause you to eventually lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs.

Nerve damage that affects the gastrointestinal tract can cause problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. For men, erectile dysfunction may be an issue.

Eye Damage: Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), leading to blindness. Diabetes also increases the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma.

Kidney Damage (Nephropathy): The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system and severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Foot Damage: Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections that may eventually lead to toe, foot or leg amputation.

Skin and Mouth Conditions: Diabetes may leave you more prone to infections of the skin and mouth, including bacterial and fungal infections. Diabetics are more likely to develop periodontal disease, including gum disease and dry mouth.

Complications during Pregnancy: High blood sugar levels can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. The risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and birth defects increases when diabetes is not properly controlled. For the mother, diabetes increases the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic retinopathy and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.

How to Prevent Type 1 Diabetes?

Since the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is still not identified, there’s no known ways to prevent the condition. Researchers are working on preventing the disease or further destruction of the islet cells in people who are newly diagnosed.

How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is usually managed with insulin injections or with an insulin pump. While your lifestyle choices didn’t cause type 1 diabetes, the choices you make now can reduce the impact of diabetes-related complications.

Even though there is no cure, a positive and realistic attitude toward the condition can help manage it effectively.