( home )

Searching For A Cure For Type One Diabetes

Type One diabetes, often called juvenile onset diabetes, is a disorder of the immune system in which the body attacks itself, specifically the region of the pancreas identified as the islets of Langerhans, destroying the body's ability to create insulin which is needed to aid the sales in metabolizing glucose. The result is that cells literally starve for lack of food while glucose levels in the blood rise to high levels.

Symptoms of type I diabetes vary between individuals. If blood glucose levels rise too high, the individual could go into a diabetic coma. In some cases, no symptoms are noted before this level is reached. At the present time, there is not a cure for type I diabetes but there is a treatment.

Treating individuals with type one diabetes is a multipronged attack. The first line of defense consists of frequent checking of blood glucose levels. This is usually done read to four times each day before meals. The second line consists of insulin injections measured to replace what the body is failing to produce.

These can be given once a day or up to four times a day depending on the patient and the severity of their diabetes. If multiple injections are given each day, they are always given immediately before a meal.

Careful monitoring is required in such cases because the possibility exists that a person could get too much insulin and go into a condition known as insulin shock or hypoglycemia. Symptoms of insulin shock include dizziness, headache, and in severe cases loss of consciousness. Treatment of insulin shock is quite simple. It is important to feed the individual something with a high glycemic index that will put glucose back into their blood quickly. EMTs and paramedics carry tubes of pure glucose for this specific purpose. They simply place a small amount next to the person's cheek, in the case of unconscious victims, where it is quickly absorbed into the body. If patients are conscious they are urged to eat something sweet, drink fruit juice, or if they can stand the taste to consume a tube of pure glucose.

No one knows what causes type one diabetes. It is believed, however, that certain individuals, especially those with a family history of diabetes, have a genetic predisposition for development of this disease.

This type of diabetes normally manifests itself early in life, usually in the preteen years. It can, however, developed at any age. It is not well understood at the present time why some people develop this type of diabetes early in life while others develop it later.

The search for a cure for diabetes is ongoing. It must be understood that insulin injections are not a cure for type I diabetes, they are only a treatment. Other problems including kidney failure, increased risk of infection, slow healing, neuropathy in the lower extremities, and in some cases, cellular death causing a need for amputation can develop. At the present time, millions of dollars are being spent each year in the search for a cure for type I diabetes.

Searching For A Cure For Type One Diabetes

Related Articles