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Type 1 Diabetis Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, a disease distinguished by persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels), resulting either from insufficient secretion of the hormone insulin, an inadequate reaction of target cells to insulin, or a combination of these factors. Diabetes is a metabolic disease calling for medical diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle adjustments.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by deficiency of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. Sensitivity and responsiveness to insulin are as a rule normal, particularly in the early stages. This type comprises up to 10% of total occurrences in Europe and North America, though this changes by geographical location. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is conventionally termed "juvenile diabetes" as it represents a bulk of cases of diabetes affecting children.

The most widespread cause of beta cell loss leading to type 1 diabetes is autoimmune destruction, with antibodies aimed against islet cell proteins and insulin. Even from the initial stages, the primary treatment of type 1 diabetes is substituting of insulin. Without insulin, diabetic ketoacidosis and ketosis can develop.

CAUSES
Type 1 Diabetes generally arises due to an autoimmune disorder--when the body's immune system works incorrectly and begins seeing one of it's own tissues as foreign.
The islet cells of the pancreas that generate insulin are seen as the "enemy" by oversight. The body then produces antibodies to attack the "foreign" tissue and wipe out the islet cells capacity to produce insulin. The lack of sufficient insulin thus results in diabetes.

It is still indefinite why this autoimmune diabetes develops. Often it is a genetic predisposition. Occasionally it happens after a viral infection such as rubella, mumps, measles, cytomegalovirus, encephalitis, influenza, polio or Epstein-Barr virus. A very rare cause of Type 1 Diabetes include damage to the pancreas from trauma, toxins, or following the surgical removal of the majority of the pancreas.

The table below is a general guideline only.

DIAGNOSIS & SYMPTOMS
The signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes often emerge following a flu-like illness and progressively intensify over the course of a few weeks.

• Increased thirst and frequent urination--With type 1 diabetes, extra sugar (glucose) builds up in the bloodstream. This draws water from the body's tissues and makes one thirsty. As a consequence, a person drinks and urinates more often.
• Intense hunger—Deficiency in insulin leaves the organs and muscles of the body depleted of energy. This in turn triggers hunger. 
• Weight loss—In spite of eating to ease frequent hunger, people with type 1 diabetes lose weight because the body’s deprivation of glucose causes the cells to die. Muscle tissues and fat shrink, and body weight drops.
• Blurred vision—A high level of blood glucose draws out fluid from the lenses of the eyes. The reduction in fluid affects the capacity to focus.
• Fatigue--When the cells are deprived of glucose, one becomes weary and irritable.

COMPLICATIONS

Diabetic Neuropathy and Nerve Damage
Neuropathy is damage to the nerves that run right through the body, linking the spinal cord to skin, muscles, blood vessels, and other organs.

Depression
A mental state distinguished by feelings of loneliness, sadness, low self-esteem, desolation, and guilt complex.

Eye Complications
Diabetes sufferers are more prone to blindness than people without diabetes. Advanced detection and treatment of eye problems can help.

Gastroparesis
An ailment that affects people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Heart Disease
Diabetes brings a bigger risk for heart attack, stroke, and complications connected to poor circulation.

Kidney Disease (Nephropathy)
Diabetes can harm the kidneys, making them lose the capacity to filter out waste products.

Skin Complications
One-third of people with diabetes will develop a skin disorder caused by diabetes at some time in their lives.

PREVENTION
Little is known on the exact procedure by which type 1 diabetes develops, hence there is no sure way to prevent it. There are specific actions one can take though to lower the risk of type 1 diabetes in children. Children who develop diabetes are more likely to have had cow's milk as an infant, and children who do not develop diabetes are more likely to have been totally breast-fed. As a result, some doctors advocate breast feeding children who have parents or siblings with diabetes, and restricting the child's ingestion of cow's milk

INCEDENCE AND STATISTICS
Little is known on the exact procedure by which type 1 diabetes develops, hence there is no sure way to prevent it. There are specific actions one can take though to lower the risk of type 1 diabetes in children. Children who develop diabetes are more likely to have had cow's milk as an infant, and children who do not develop diabetes are more likely to have been totally breast-fed. As a result, some doctors advocate breast feeding children who have parents or siblings with diabetes, and restricting the child's ingestion of cow's milk

• Type 1 diabetes explains for 5 percent to 10 percent of diagnosed cases of diabetes.
• The threat of developing type 1 diabetes is higher than nearly all other acute chronic diseases of childhood.
• Peak occurrence arises during puberty. Around 10-12 years of age in girls, and 12-14 years of age in boys.
• The signs for type 1 diabetes can imitate the flu in children.