Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is the disorder of the body wherein it produces enough insulin to regulate the breakdown of the blood sugar in the human body. Insulin is a harmone produced in the pancreatic cells called beta cells. It helps in the breakdown of complex sugars into glucose which can be readily absorbed by the cells of the human body for energy generation.

Diabetes is normally categorized in two main and one subcategory– Type I, Type II diabetes and Gestational diabetes. Both Type I and II are chronic in nature (i.e. they cannot be cured but can only be treated) and Gestational diabetes is normally a passing phase which ends after the mother gives birth. But it has more serious effect on the child later on.

Type I diabetes occurs when there is a loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. Type I is the most serious type of diabetes and is also called Juvenile Diabetes because it usually occurs in children and young adults. The most common cause of Type I diabetes is the beta cell loss leading to type 1 diabetes by autoimmune destruction, accompanied by antibodies directed against insulin and islet cell proteins. It is caused by genetic and environmental factors and affects 2 to 3 % of the diabetic population.

Some of the major symptoms of Type I diabetes are:

1) Frequent urination
2) Unusual thirst
3) Hunger
4) Sudden weight loss
5) Weakness
6) Extremely tired
7) Blurred vision
8) Irritability
9) Extreme cases vomiting and nausea

Having Type I diabetes creates more complications and increases your risk for many serious conditions. Some of them are heart disease (cardiovascular disease), blindness (retinopathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), and kidney damage (nephropathy).