Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and breaks down the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, resulting in insulin deficiency and inability to control blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes has the highest incidence in children and adolescents but can occur at any age. Type 1 diabetes during adulthood, sometimes referred to as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, usually manifests with a slower disease progression and is often incorrectly diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
An estimated 589 million people in the world have some form of diabetes today and this number is expected to rise to 853 million by the year 2050. Approximately 10-percent are anticipated to be diagnosed with the autoimmune form, type 1 diabetes.
513,000 people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year. Nordic countries have the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world. In Sweden, two children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every day. The disease has a significant impact on the lives of those affected and their family members. It is usually a traumatic experience for the whole family when a child develops type 1 diabetes.
It is still unknown what triggers the autoimmune attack leading to type 1 diabetes, although risk factors such as family history of diabetes, genetics and some viral infections have been identified. The beta cells are gradually destroyed during a period that varies from months to several years before any clinical symptoms appear. Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes usually are diagnosed when just 10-20 percent of the beta cell function remains.
Type 1 diabetes can be detected before any clinical symptoms occur by a blood test revealing the presence of specific autoantibodies, including GAD antibodies. The presence of two or several autoantibodies is active of the future clinical diagnosis of the disease.
Individuals diagnosed later in life characteristically have antibodies to GAD, which is a sign of the ongoing autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing cells. Approximately 10 percent of all individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes actually have type 1 diabetes, and these individuals can be correctly diagnosed via an antibody test.
There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes and the disease cannot be prevented. Standard treatment for type 1 diabetes includes life-long daily treatment with insulin, either through injections or an insulin pump, and blood sugar measurements.
Diabetes Complications
People with type 1 diabetes often develop serious complications which can affect several different organs in the body resulting in great suffering and premature death. Type 1 diabetes is associated with significantly shorter health and life span, especially when diagnosed at an early age.
Acute Complications
Acute complications mainly comprise:
- severe hypoglycemia, a state of dangerously low blood sugar levels, which can lead to an acute hypoglycemic coma, brain damage and even death
- ketoacidosis, a state of complete lack of insulin in the body where large amounts of ketone metabolites are released leading to a lowering of the pH of the blood, a life-threatening condition requiring intensive care to be reversed
Long-Term Complications
Consistently elevated blood sugar levels cause typical long-term diabetes complications including:
- cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack, stroke and impaired circulation that may lead to amputation
- nephropathy (kidney disease), such as kidney failure sometimes requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant
- neuropathy (nerve disease) such as loss of sensation and severe pain in extremities and erectile dysfunction
- retinopathy (eye disease) such as impaired vision, and in some cases even blindness