Type 1 diabetes can occur in people of all ages/ShutterStock
Type 1 diabetes was known for many years as "juvenile diabetes".
The term was coined because type 1 diabetes was seen to be more common among children and adolescents.
This perception has been changing in recent years against the background of the understanding that type 1 diabetes may appear among people of all ages, so that even newborn babies as well as the elderly can be diagnosed with it.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, with the second type being the most common and better known to the public.
The reason for this is as a result of the sharp increase in type 2 diabetes rates in recent decades.
This increase is caused, among other things, by the increase in life expectancy, a sedentary lifestyle, an unhealthy diet and weight gain.
While in type 2 diabetes there is a partial damage to the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin, in the rarer type 1 diabetes, there is complete destruction of insulin due to damage to cells in the pancreas (beta cells that produce the hormone).
The lack of insulin causes a lack of glucose in the cells, and the body has no choice but to find other sources of energy in the reserves of fats and proteins in the body's tissues.
This utilization of resources causes exhaustion and weight loss.
Over time, high levels of glucose in the blood can cause damage to small blood vessels throughout the body and thus damage to significant systems in the body such as the eyes, kidneys, nerve endings and more.
In both types of diabetes (type 1 and type 2 diabetes), the patients will suffer from high blood sugar levels, that is, from a lack of sugar in the cells.
"Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune process in which the body's immune system acts against the body's own cells. The immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that secrete the hormone insulin - a hormone that the body needs to allow sugar (glucose) to enter the cells in the various organs and produce energy, until a deficit is formed. in insulin and total dependence on its supply from an external source to the body," explains Dr. Avivit Brenner, a specialist in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, director of the pediatric endocrinology and diabetes unit, Dana-Doak Children's Hospital, Ichilov Tel Aviv Medical Center.
The perception that type 1 diabetes is more common among children has been changing in recent years/ShutterStock
What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?
"The symptoms are quite diverse and include increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss on the one hand and increased appetite on the other, and more," explains Dr. Brenner. "In many cases, the first sign is an increased need to urinate, especially at night.
You see it in children who eat a rich dinner that raises their blood sugar level, and at night they get up from sleep to urinate.
Sometimes children return to wet themselves at night because of this.
If it repeats, it is recommended to go to the doctor and get tested."
What are the causes of the development of type 1 diabetes?
"Type 1 diabetes is not defined as genetic," explains Dr. Brenner, "however, similar to other autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease or Crohn's, diabetes has a certain tendency which Makes people with a certain genetic structure have a greater risk for the process to increase."
Do environmental factors influence the onset of type 1 diabetes?
"There are factors that may encourage the development of diabetes, such as various viruses or the lack of exposure to certain allergens during childhood, but there is no definite proof of this," explains Dr. Brenner.
Type 1 diabetes can develop quite quickly, and one of its most serious risks is the formation of Acidosis is life-threatening, and this even before the patient has been diagnosed as diabetic. Diabetic ketoacidosis is usually caused by a lack of insulin and excess glucose in the blood, leading to increased fat breakdown that damages the liver, blood acidity, ketones in the blood (a product of fat breakdown) and urine. Acidosis is characterized by increasing dehydration. , acceleration of the heartbeat and heavy breathing, and without treatment it can lead to coma and even death in extreme situations.
People with type 1 diabetes should check their blood sugar levels regularly, usually with a finger prick test/ShutterStock
In order to understand how a person with type 1 diabetes reaches a life-threatening condition of acidosis, you need to understand the stages of its development.
Diabetes is characterized by three stages: in the first stage, patients are diagnosed with the onset of immune system activity against insulin production;
In the second stage, slight abnormalities in the blood sugar levels begin to develop - which indicate a 'pre-diabetes' condition.
That is, at this stage the patient has not yet been diagnosed as diabetic by definition;
The third stage of the disease defines the patient as diabetic since there is a more significant loss of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and the characteristic symptoms of diabetes develop.
At this stage, which may develop rapidly from stage 2, the risk of developing dangerous acidosis increases.
The transition between the second and third stages was until recently inevitable, but a new biological drug called 'Tzield' proves effective in delaying the development of the third stage.
This drug works against components of the immune system that attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, thereby delaying the progression of type 1 diabetes
. Dr. Brenner testifies. "Although the treatment does not completely prevent the destruction of the cells, it does prolong their survival.
This slowdown is very significant for the rest of life, and the patients enjoy a state that we call the "honeymoon" - a long period with fewer high sugar levels. Another great advantage of this treatment is the better balance in sugar levels that it provides to these diabetics throughout the diabetes period. Therefore, there is great significance in giving The treatment in the very early detection phase of type 1 diabetes," she concludes.
Insulin is the main treatment in cases of type 1 diabetes. Since the body does not produce at all or produces an insufficient amount of insulin, and it is impossible to live without this hormone that balances blood sugar levels, there is a need to use insulin injections or an insulin pump (a small device that attaches to your body and releases insulin).
People with type 1 diabetes should check their blood sugar levels regularly, usually with a finger prick test.
Today there are options to monitor sugar levels and eliminate the need for multiple injections, through the use of a monitor or flash glucose devices.
In fact, people with type 1 diabetes can identify and treat cases where there are low and high blood sugar levels and prevent hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
For more information or questions, please contact your attending physician.
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