Healthy Considerations

Type 1 diabetes, also commonly known as Juvenile Diabetes due to the fact that it most commonly strikes when a person is a child or an adolescent, occurs when the pancreas’ beta cells produce little to no insulin. Those under 30, adults and senior citizens also run the risk of developing Type 1 Diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone that permits the sugar glucose to enter cells of the body. When a cell receives glucose, it uses it as fuel. When a person has a decreased level of insulin, the glucose that’s supposed to be converted to fuel for the body’s cells instead begins to build up in the bloodstream. The resulting blood circulation problems can result in kidney damage, loss of eyesight, the need to amputate limbs, even heart failure.

After having diabetes for anywhere from 5 years to 10 years, the beta cells that create insulin may become damaged beyond repair. When the body ceases to produce insulin, the person suffering from the disease is forced to rely on an external insulin source in the form of either shots or pills.

If diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, there are a host of issues you’ll need to address. Blood glucose levels need to be monitored as often as 6 times per day. If the levels are too high, diabetes patients face the problem of a hyperglycemic reaction. Consequently, if blood glucose levels are too low, the patient runs the risk of a hypoglycemic reaction. For this reason, in addition to monitoring the levels, diabetes sufferers need to maintain their glucose through injections of insulin, a proper diet, and exercise.

Low blood glucose levels can be heightened by eating something with sugar. Soda and fruit juice are two commonly used remedies for a low glucose level. If the glucose in the bloodstream is too high, more specific actions need to be taken that involve a trip to the hospital. High glucose levels can cause a poisoning of the blood that can be fatal if unaddressed.

All in all, people afflicted with Type 1 Diabetes take on the responsibility of properly monitoring their condition and appropriately adjusting their insulin, food intake, and exercise.  Monitoring glucose levels is vital, and taking the correct dose of insulin as well as altering your diet and exercise to fit your body’s need are essential to adapting to and minimizing the impact of this chronic illness.

Type 1 Diabetes is the least common form of diabetes, accounting for approximately 3 percent of all new cases. 1 in 7,000 children are affected every year by this chronic illness.  While we know much of the way diabetes functions, we are still left in the dark as to what causes it.

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