What Is Type 1 Diabetes? | 2 Minute Guide | Diabetes UK
About 10% of people with diabetes have type 1.
It's got nothing to do with diet or lifestyle, it just happens. When you have type 1 diabetes
your body attacks the insulin producing cells in your pancreas, so you can't produce any insulin at
all. And we all need insulin to live. It does an essential job it allows the glucose in our blood
to enter our cells and fuel our bodies. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body still breaks
down the carbohydrate from food and drink and turns it into glucose, but when the glucose enters
your bloodstream, there's no insulin to allow it into your body cells. More and more glucose then
builds up in your bloodstream. So what does this mean. Well before diagnosis your body tries to
get rid of the glucose through your kidneys and that makes you wee a lot. Weeing so much leads
to another symptom of diabetes, extreme thirst, because glucose can't enter your cells to
give you energy you'll feel incredibly tired. To try and get energy the body breaks down fat
stores to provide fuel, that's why people often lose weight before discovering they've got type 1
diabetes.
These symptoms tend to come on quickly, over just a few days or weeks. Anyone who has
these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible. If you've got type 1 diabetes you
get insulin into your body by injecting it or using a pump which delivers a constant
supply into you. You'll also need to check that your blood glucose levels are not too low
or too high by using a blood glucose testing device several times a day. When you start
taking insulin you'll begin to feel better and your blood glucose levels will go down. This
is important because over a long period of time, high glucose levels in your blood can
seriously damage your heart, your eyes, your feet and your kidneys. These are known
as the complications of diabetes. But with the right treatment and care the long-term effects of
diabetes and high glucose levels can be managed. You can find out how we can help you manage your
diabetes on our website.
We're still not sure why some people get type 1 diabetes and others
don't, or why the immune system of someone with type 1 attacks the cells that produce
insulin. But our researchers are learning more and more about type 1 diabetes, so we can
develop new treatments and one day find a cure..
