About Diabetes:
Diabetes is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. T1D usually strikes in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood, and lasts a lifetime. To survive, pe
ople with T1D must take multiple injections of insulin daily or continually infuse insulin through a pump. Some important things to note about T1D are:
A) Taking insulin is NOT a cure, nor does it prevent the possibility of the disease’s devastating effects: kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, amputation, heart attack, stroke, and pregnancy complications. B) T1D does NOT just affect children. While most cases are diagnosed during childhood, this is a lifelong disease and children grow up to be T1D adults. C) With support from organizations like JDRF, many advances have been made in understanding T1D, and the development of treatment options. Many T1 diabetics live full, successful lives while managing their disease. The other type of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes. It is a metabolic disorder in which a person’s body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively. Type 2 is usually diagnosed in adulthood, however, increased obesity has led to a recent rise in cases of type 2 diabetes in children and young adults. Type 2 diabetes does not always require insulin injections. Sometimes the disease can be managed through diet, exercise and pills.
