Is type 1 diabetes a terminal condition

Neurological Diseases And Conditions And Mental Disorders

Kaplan University

July 07, 2015

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a terminal disease whereby the blood has a high level of glucose. This disease is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. It was formerly called juvenile onset diabetes because it mostly begins during childhood. Mostly, type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in children aged between 4 and 14 years old. However, in recent times, it also begins in adolescents and adults. Type 1 diabetes mellitus involves pancreas gland that is suited behind the stomach (American Diabetes Association, 2015).

Causes of Type 1 Diabetes

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes remains largely unknown. Generally, it is assumed that the predisposition to have abnormal antibodies in the blood is partially genetically inherited, however, genetics are not very well understood. What is clearly understood is that the body detects the cells which makes insulin as foreign cells and hence destroys them (Bluestone, Herold, Eisenbarth, 2010).

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system of patients with type 1 diabetes mistakenly produces antibodies as well as inflammatory cells which attack the patients’ body tissues severely damaging them. The misdirected immune system attacks the pancreas’ beta cells of patient suffering from type 1 diabetes. The beta cells are responsible for production of insulin in the body. The pancreas is damaged to a level that it cannot produce insulin. As a result, most patients with this disease have been found to have abnormal antibodies. . Examples of antibodies found in patients with this disease include anti-insulin antibodies, anti-islet cell antibodies as well as anti-glutamic decarboxylase antibodies (Lernmark and Larsson, 2013).

Another believed cause of type 1 diabetes is environmental toxins. Exposure to specific viral infections, such as Coxsackie, Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus and mumps viruses or any other environmental toxins can serve to cause abnormal antibodies to react in a way damaging the pancreas cells. Early upper respiratory system infection can also be a risk factor for type 1 diabetes (Huxley, Peters, Mishra, Woodward, 2015).

Symptoms

The early symptoms to watch out for include feeling very thirsty, feeling the urge to pass urine often, feeling very hungry, losing weight unintentionally, having blurry eyesight, having dry, irritating skin, having sores that take long to heal, feeling numbness and feeling fatigue and weakness. These symptoms indicate that there is high sugar in the blood and hence should prompt one to get screened to find out whether he/she is suffering from type 1 diabetes. Later symptoms of type 1 diabetes include dry mouth and skin, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, feeling nausea, stomach pain, flushed face and fruity breath odor. These are serious warnings signs as they indicate that there is a very high sugar in the blood (Atkinson, 2014).

How the Normal function of the body is affected

Normally, the body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars into glucose. The body consists of countless cells and all these cells in the body are fueled by this glucose. Without glucose, the body can’t function properly. However, insulin, which is a hormone found in the blood, is needed by the cells to be able to use this glucose for energy. The body of individuals with type 1 diabetes either does not produce enough insulin or is unable to utilize the insulin it makes or both. The inability of the cells to take in glucose results in its accumulation in the blood. This accumulation of glucose is known as hyperglycemia (American Diabetes Association. 2015).

The work of the kidney is to filter excess water and waste product from the blood. However, when the sugar in the blood is very high, the kidney is unable to contain it all. As a result, sugar finds its way into the urine. The urine output increases in amount and frequency due to the high sugar in the urine, causing the affected person to feel very thirsty. The inability of the body to use glucose due to lack of insulin forces it to use fat for energy. This explains the weight loss witnessed in many individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes (Atkinson, 2014).

Other affected body Systems

There are several body organs which are affected by type 1 diabetes including eyes, heart, nerves, blood vessels and kidney. This disease damages these organs resulting in medical conditions. Most of these conditions arise from the damage of the small blood vessels in the eyes, known as diabetic retinopathy. This can result to blindness or other serious vision diseases like glaucoma and cataracts (Huxley, Peters, Mishra, Woodward, 2015).

Damage of the nerves results in a medical condition known as diabetic neuropathy. Very high amount of sugar in the blood may damage the walls of the small blood vessels which nourishes the nerves, particularly in the legs. As a result, the person affected my experience numbness, tingling or pain which normally starts at toes’ tips and slowly spreads upwards. When the nerves which affect the gastrointestinal system are damaged, the person affected can experience vomiting, constipation or diarrhea. Men suffering from type 1 diabetes may experience erectile dysfunction (Huxley, Peters, Mishra, Woodward, 2015).

A damage to the kidneys is termed as diabetic nephropathy. There are millions of small blood vessels clusters which filter waste products from the blood. Type 1 diabetes can injure this intricate filtering system. A serious damage may cause kidney failure or permanent end-stage kidney disease that requires a kidney transplant or dialysis (Bluestone, Herold, Eisenbarth, 2010).

Furthermore, if type 1 diabetes is not treated it can eventually result in heart disease, such as coronary artery disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and atherosclerosis. Other conditions brought about by type 1 diabetes include bacterial and fungal infections, foot damage and preeclampsia (Lernmark and Larsson, 2013).

References

American Diabetes Association. 2015. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2015: Abridged for Primary Care Providers. Clinical Diabetes, 33:2

Atkinson MA. 2014. et al. Type 1 diabetes. The Lancet, 383:69.

Bluestone JA, Herold K, Eisenbarth G. 2010. "Genetics, pathogenesis and clinical interventions in type 1 diabetes". Nature 464 (7293): 1293–1300.

Huxley, R. R; Peters, A E; Mishra, G. D; Woodward, M. 2015. "Risk of all-cause mortality and vascular events in women versus men with type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis". The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

Lernmark A, Larsson HE. 2013. Immune therapy in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol ;9(2):92-103