Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes

• About type 1 diabetes
• Symptoms of type 1 diabetes
• Causes of type 1 diabetes
• Diagnosing type 1 diabetes
• Treating type 1 diabetes
• Complications of type 1 diabetes
• Living with type 1 diabetes

About type 1 diabetes

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level to become too high.

The hormone insulin – produced by the pancreas – is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood.

There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 – where the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin
• Type 2 – where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or the body’s cells don’t react to insulin

This topic is about type 1 diabetes.

Read more about type 2 diabetes

Another type of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, occurs in some pregnant women and tends to disappear following birth.

It’s very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as soon as possible, because it will get progressively worse if left untreated.

You should therefore visit your GP if you have symptoms, which include feeling thirsty, passing urine more often than usual and losing weight unexpectedly (see the list below for more diabetes symptoms).

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but usually appears before the age of 40, particularly in childhood. Around 10% of all diabetes is type 1.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (a small gland behind the stomach) progressively reduces the amount of insulin (the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels) it produces until it stops producing any at all.

If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, it can, over time, seriously damage the body’s organs.

Diabetes symptoms

The symptoms of diabetes occur because the lack of insulin means that glucose is high but isn’t used by your muscles as fuel for energy.

When blood glucose is high, glucose is lost in your urine and you may become dehydrated.

Typical symptoms include:

• feeling very thirsty
• passing urine more often than usual, particularly at night
• feeling very tired all the time
• weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
• persistent infections such as thrush

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop very quickly in young people (over a few hours or days). In adults, the symptoms often take longer to develop (a few days or weeks).

Read more about the symptoms of type 1 diabetes

Causes of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection and illness) mistakes the cells in your pancreas as harmful and attacks them.

Without insulin, your body will break down its own fat and muscle, resulting in weight loss. This can lead to a serious short-term condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. This is when the bloodstream becomes acidic, you develop dangerous levels of ketones in your blood stream and become severely dehydrated.

This results in the body being unable to produce insulin, which is required to move glucose out of the blood and into your cells to be used for energy. This is called Type 1 diabetes.

Read more about the causes of type 1 diabetes

Treating type 1 diabetes

It’s important that diabetes is diagnosed as early as possible. If left untreated, type-1 diabetes is a life-threatening condition. It’s essential that treatment is started early.

Diabetes can’t be cured, but treatment aims to keep your blood glucose levels as normal as possible and control your symptoms, to prevent health problems developing later in life.

If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you’ll be referred to a diabetes care team for specialist treatment and monitoring.

As your body can’t produce insulin, you’ll need regular insulin injections to keep your glucose levels normal. You’ll be taught how to do this and how to match the insulin you inject to the food (carbohydrate) you eat, taking into account your blood glucose level and how much exercise you do.

Insulin injections come in several different forms, with each working slightly differently. You’ll most likely need a combination of different insulin preparations.

Insulin is given to some patients by a continuous infusion of fast (rapid) acting insulin (pump therapy). This is where a small device constantly pumps insulin (at a rate you control) into your bloodstream through a plastic tube (cannula) that’s inserted under the skin with a needle.

There are alternatives to insulin injections and pumps, but they’re only suitable for a small number of patients. They are:

• islet cell transplantation – where healthy insulin-producing cells from the pancreas of a deceased donor are implanted into the pancreas of someone with type 1 diabetes
• a complete pancreas transplant – this is still relatively rare and only a few centres of excellence offer this.

Read more about diagnosing diabetes and treating type 1 diabetes

Complications

If diabetes is left untreated, it can cause a number of different health problems. Large amounts of glucose can damage blood vessels, nerves and organs.

Having a consistently raised glucose level that doesn’t cause any symptoms can have damaging effects in the long term.

There is also complications that can arise if your insulin is not balanced with your food intake and exercise. Your diabetes team will work with you to manage your insulin correctly.

Read more about the complications of type 1 diabetes

Living with diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to look after your health very carefully. Caring for your health will also make treating your diabetes easier and minimise your risk of developing complications.

For example, eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly will lower your blood glucose level. Stopping smoking (if you smoke) will also reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Your healthcare team will discuss this with you, and you can see your own results through My Diabetes My Way. It’s important that you learn the skills to self manage your diabetes and there are people to help and support you to do this.

If you have diabetes, your eyes are at risk from diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to sight loss if it’s not treated. Everyone with diabetes aged 12 or over should be invited to have their eyes screened once a year.