Understanding The Symptoms Of Type 1 Diabetes To Control And Manage Well
Life is unpredictable, so diseases are too. To treat and manage any disease, learning the signs and symptoms is important. In this article, we’ll understand the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, what it is, why it happens, when it happens, and how we can identify it.
Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic disease that prevents your pancreas from making insulin. In this condition, either your pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to make energy.
Type 1 diabetes can happen from many different factors, including genetics and some infections. Type 1 diabetes can develop in adults, even though it often appears in childhood or adolescence. Despite lots of research, there is still no cure for type 1 diabetes. The goal of treatment is to control blood sugar levels with insulin, food, and lifestyle changes to prevent problems.
Symptoms
Type 1 diabetes can appear suddenly and include the following symptoms:
- Unusual thirst
- Excess urination
- Bed-wetting in children
- Feeling hungry a lot
- Weight loss
- Irritable mood
- Feeling very tired
- Having blurred vision
When to visit a doctor
If you or your kid develops any of the above symptoms, visit your healthcare provider.
Causes
It is unknown what specifically causes type 1 diabetes. The immune system of the body, which often combats dangerous bacteria and viruses, typically kills the insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas. Other potential causes are as follows:
- Genetics
- Virus exposure and other environmental factors
Risk factors
The following are some factors that can increase your risk of type 1 diabetes:
- Family history: A person is somewhat more likely to get type 1 diabetes if they have a parent or sibling who has the disease.
- Genetics: Type 1 diabetes is more likely to occur in people with certain genes.
- Geography: People with type 1 diabetes seem to be more common depending on how far you are from the equator.
- Age: Although type 1 diabetes may appear at any age, there are two different stages in its onset. Children aged four to seven experience the first peak. Children aged 10 to 14 make up the second group.
Complications
Complications from type 1 diabetes can gradually damage the body’s major organs. The heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys are some of these organs. A regular blood sugar level can reduce the likelihood of numerous problems.
Complications from diabetes may endanger your life or cause disabilities.
- Heart and blood vessel disease: Diabetes raises the risk of certain heart and blood vessel issues. These include excessive blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, coronary artery disease with angina (chest discomfort), and atherosclerosis (artery narrowing).
- Nerve damage (neuropathy): Excess blood sugar can damage the walls of the vessels, which are tiny blood vessels that supply the nerves. The legs are particularly affected by this. This can cause discomfort, burning, tingling, or numbness.
- Kidney damage (nephropathy): Millions of tiny blood vessels in the kidneys prevent waste from getting into the bloodstream. Diabetes can damage this system.
- Eye damage: It can damage the eye, too.
- Foot damage: Diabetes also affects your feet.
How does one treat type 1 diabetes?
For people with Type 1 diabetes to survive and maintain their health, they require synthetic insulin daily, several times a day. Additionally, they must make an effort to maintain a healthy range for their blood sugar.
The treatment of Type 1 diabetes is complicated and very individualised because several factors influence your blood sugar level.
