Type 1 Diabetes
What Is Type I 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).