Diabetes Information and Treatment Guide | Myths About What Type 1 Diabetes Is

Myths About What Type 1 Diabetes Is

06.06.2008 by Dr John Anne in Diabetes Type 1

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Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. People with diabetes have problems using food for energy. After a meal, carbohydrates in food are broken down into a sugar called glucose, which is carried by the blood to cells throughout the body. Cells require insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, to help use blood glucose for energy.

Type 1 Diabetes Myths

Type 1 diabetes is more serious than type 2

Type 1Diabetes myth is also widespread and its origin is historic. Before the discovery of insulin in 1922, the diagnosis of type 1 signified certain death within months. And while all people with type 1 require insulin to survive, it is possible to control type 2 without insulin. However a person may have type 2 for months or years before diagnosis, therefore serious complications, such as eye damage or kidney failure, may have already developed, making it more serious than type 1 in certain cases.

Type 1 Diabetes Myth is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s defense system attacks and destroys its own cells. Type 1 Diabetes myths, the immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, which is a hormone that is used by the body to convert sugars and carbohydrates into the energy that is needed for your body to maintain its normal function. Once these cells are destroyed, the body does not produce enough insulin to convert the sugars and carbohydrates that are consumed. This can lead to other, life threatening illnesses and diseases.

The Truth: Whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta, brown rice and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, yams, peas and corn are part of a healthy meal plan and can be included in your meals and snacks. These foods, high in complex carbohydrates, are also a good source of fiber, which helps keep your gastrointestinal system running smoothly. The key is portion size. Most people with diabetes should limit themselves to three or four servings of complex carbohydrates a day.

I disagree. The presence of these markers strongly suggests an autoimmune process, the probability of a lack of long-term efficacy of sulfonylureas, and the lack of insulin resistance and thus indicates that there is no need to waste time with metformin or a thiazolidinedione. Furthermore, insulin likely retards the autoimmune destruction of the beta.gif (968 bytes)-cells

Type 1 and type 2 may differ in the way they develop in the body, but if neglected, both can lead to devastating complications such as heart attack, stroke, sexual dysfunction, nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness, amputation and even death. Both types are serious and require full attention.

The disease process in classical Type 1 diabetes patients (IDDM) is believed to be autoimmune. In contrast, the disease process in classical Type 2 diabetes patients (NIDDM) is not autoimmune and a decreased sensitivity to insulin action is the main abnormality. The clinical distinction of Type 1 diabetes versus Type 2 diabetes is recognized to be imperfect and has limitations. There is a group of individuals (Type 1 1/2 diabetes), who present like typical NIDDM, but have some of the immunological and clinical features of IDDM. We review the current medical literature on Type 1 1/2 diabetes with special reference to its clinical characteristics, natural history and pathophysiology. Since the distinction between these two forms of diabetes may have important therapeutic implications especially with regards to the benefits of insulin therapy in patients with Type 1 1/2 diabetes and because of the need for uniformity in its diagnosis we recommend that both clinical plus biochemical criteria (the presence of ICA and/or GAD Ab, HLA typing and tests to quantify beta cell function) be used to make a diagnosis. Comparative studies in the area of cytokine production, T cell reactivity and autoantibody clustering between classic Type 1 diabetes and Type 1 1/2 diabetes patients are needed as are studies with the animal model of Type 1 1/2 diabetes, Psammomys obesus.

Diabetes is a group of diseases that doesn’t allow your body to properly convert the food you eat into energy. The main types are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. The cause differs for each, but common to all is high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Managing any type of diabetes requires balancing food, physical activity and, if needed, medications. People with type 1 diabetes (formerly juvenile onset diabetes) will need to take some form of insulin for the rest of their lives.