Diabetes Doesn’t Mean You Have to Get Your Fingernails Ripped Off

There are about 3.7 million people in the U.S. living with diabetes, and of those, about 2.7 million have type 2 diabetes (T2D), a condition characterized by blood sugar levels that exceed normal levels.

Unfortunately, diabetes is also a genetic condition — typically, someone is more likely to get it if they have a family member who already has the disease. In addition, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes can prevent, delay, or reverse type 2 diabetes. However, those are not always successful.

Type 1 diabetes is a different case. The body produces insulin, a hormone that helps process sugar in the blood, and the body cannot produce insulin on its own. In some cases, complications from diabetes can cause the body to stop producing insulin, though other cases are more complicated.

In people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas and/or the insulin-producing cells in the kidneys are destroyed by the disease. Some people may be able to make insulin on their own, but for many, a device called a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is used to keep track of blood sugar levels.

Diabetes doesn’t normally cause symptoms, but in rare cases, it can lead to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is an unusual complication of T2D. If it happens, people must be taken to the hospital immediately to get the pancreas cleaned out and put back into working order.

It is uncertain how type 1 diabetes causes insulin resistance or if it is a genetic condition. In one study, people with a family history of type 1 diabetes had more risks for kidney disease and a lower insulin-producing cell density than other groups of people, according to a 2015 American Diabetes Association (ADA) statement. Also, type 1 diabetes was more likely to run in families if the children in the family also had type 1 diabetes.

The type 1 diabetes diagnosis in a child or young adult generally happened before they reached adulthood, when their pancreas and cells have established their ability to produce insulin, researchers reported in a 2017 article in Diabetes Care.

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system begins to attack and destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Eventually, the immune system will destroy the pancreas completely and people may develop kidney or eye problems. In addition, the pancreas releases extra insulin that is metabolized and found in the blood stream. Eventually, the pancreas can no longer make enough insulin to meet the demand of the body. The high amount of insulin produced makes the blood stream too acidic for some people, which can cause more complications from blood clots, stroke, heart attack, coma, blindness, and kidney failure.

How is it treated?

People with type 1 diabetes typically must take insulin injections on a daily basis and they have to manage their blood sugar levels with a continuous glucose monitor, sometimes called a CGM.

Should you consider blood sugar testing yourself?

Yes, but be sure to check with your doctor first.

New advances in the treatment of type 1 diabetes will be discussed at a Diabetes Conference sponsored by the ADA, The Center for Disease Control, and other public health agencies March 12–14 in Atlanta. More information about this conference is available at www.diabetes.org.