General Information About Type 1 Diabetes
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is an autoimmune disease where blood sugar reaches dangerous levels due to the body's complete inability to produce the hormone 'Insulin', which is responsible for transporting blood sugar into cells.
Type 2 diabetes is generally linked to obesity; insulin is present in the body but is ineffective (insulin resistance) and can be treated with oral medications. In Type 1 Diabetes, INSULIN PRODUCTION IS ZERO; oral medications are ineffective, and the patient must administer external insulin injections for life.
The individual's own immune system mistakenly identifies the insulin-producing factories (beta cells) in the pancreas as a foreign virus, attacking and completely destroying them. The exact trigger (whether genetic or viral) initiating this autoimmune attack remains incompletely understood.
It typically has a very sudden onset. The individual consumes liters of water constantly (polydipsia), wakes up multiple times during the night to urinate (polyuria), and experiences rapid weight loss despite having an increased appetite.
When cells cannot utilize glucose, they are forced to burn fats for energy. The breakdown of fats leads to the accumulation of toxic acids called 'ketones' in the blood. Without intervention, blood acidity rises, resulting in a fatal diabetic coma (characterized by an acetone odor on the breath and rapid breathing).
Patients are required to administer subcutaneous insulin injections multiple times a day (before meals and at night). Today, instead of manual injections, Insulin Pumps attached to the abdomen or arm, which automatically measure blood glucose and continuously infuse insulin, can also be utilized.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
