What is type1 diabetes? Type1 diabetes is a type of diabetes where the body’s pancreas does not make enough insulin for the body to process blood sugar properly. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas which make insulin. A person cannot survive without insulin, so a type1 diabetic must take medical insulin shots several times a day.
Diabetes type1 can be a very serious condition to have. In this form, blood sugar levels must always be carefully monitored. If a diabetic takes his/her medications incorrectly, blood sugar levels can drop drastically leading to diabetic coma, seizures, or even death. For this reason people with type1 diabetes should learn and teach those around them the signs that a diabetic episode is occurring.
Type1 and Type2 Diabetes
The difference between type1 and type2 diabetes is that type1 occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin, and type2 occurs when the insulin cannot be used by the body. Insulin is what helps blood sugar (glucose) to enter the cells. In type2 diabetes the cells do not respond to the insulin in the body, and therefore the blood sugar is not taken in and used for energy. This condition is called insulin resistance. Type2 diabetes is the most predominant type of diabetes throughout the world.
The effects of diabetes in type1 and type2 are very similar, however. Both can lead to dangerous conditions such as heart disease over time. Both types of diabetics are also subject to attacks of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Both types of diabetics also have to carefully monitor their blood sugar levels each and every day, as well as keep a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. Type 2 diabetics normally do not have as much of a risk of their blood sugar levels dropping so dramatically, however.
One major distinction between type1 and type2 diabetes is that type2 diabetics are not as prone to develop ketoacidosis. This is a very serious condition for type1 diabetics. Ketosis is a normal process of the body in which the fat is broken down and used for energy instead of sugar. When the body does not produce insulin it interferes with this process, and too many ketones build up in the bloodstream. This is called ketoacidosis, and when this occurs it causes a type1 diabetic to go into a coma-like state. This is a very serious emergency situation in which medical treatment is needed immediately.
