Diabetes type 1 is a metabolism disorder where the body does not produce insulin which is important to convert sugar into energy needed in our daily life. What happen is the immune system which is suppose to fight bacteria and foreign viruses started attacking beta cells which is the primary source of insulin for some reason.
Now that these beta cells cannot release the insulin producing hormones, the body has a hard time breaking down sugars. Insulin is important to help transport nutrients throughout the body for energy. The body needs these functions to be able to perform effectively and efficiently. Unfortunately, this does not seems to be the case with type 1 diabetes.
The main problem with those suffering from type 1 diabetes is that sugar is not transported, and this can lead to starvation of the cell, causing it to not be able to perform its important functions. Apart from accumulating sugar, the body suffers from dehydration as well. The amassing of sugar would cause patients to frequently urinate because the glucose would simply be lost through the kidneys instead of being transported to cells. This means that the majority of victims would lose a lot of weight since the cells have no staple carbohydrate intake.
The most life threatening aspect is the fact that patients can develop Ketoacidosis, which is the fatal combo of dehydration, excessive sugar and large build up of acids. The sugar that is not released in urine would continue to build up and harden the arteries in the body, which may lead to a heart attack.
There is no specific age limit to the victims of diabetes type 1. The good news is that this condition only affects a small number of people. However, the main causes of type 1 diabetes is still unclear today. The only clear point that studies found over the years is that it is an inherited disease.
Symptoms of this condition include thirstiness, frequent hunger pangs, nausea, dry mouth, abdominal pain, abrupt weight loss, tiredness, blurry vision and difficulty in breathing. If you are having the symptoms above, consult a doctor immediately. The doctor will get a urine sample to know if you have this condition.
Do not be overly worried if you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. There are a lot of people who continue to live a normal and fulfilling life with this condition. One would have to regularly monitor one's own sugar levels to treat and prevent onset of complications.
The main things to do are to keep a close watch on your diet, exercise regularly and undergo insulin therapy. The most common way to treat diabetes type 1 is through insulin injections. This is to make up for the lack of insulin that is not produced by the body. This condition can lead to kidney failure and other ocular complications if it is not treated. Heart disease is one of the possible linked disease as well.
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