Type 1 Diabetes is a condition where little or no insulin is produced by the body’s pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that is required for the cells to produce energy by allowing glucose to enter them.  There is no specific age when Type 1 Diabetes is most expected to appear and it can manifest itself any time.

What has been discovered when it comes to Type 1 Diabetes is that your body’s immune system malfunctions somehow and destroys the cells that are supposed to produce insulin. When this happens, the pancreas suffers a deficit of insulin which in turn causes the condition.
Another possible cause is genetics. People whose family has a history of this type of diabetes will most have a higher possibility of contracting the ailment.

Insulin is like a key unlocking the body’s cells doors to allow sugar (glucose) to enter which you need for energy. This valuable hormone is secreted by the pancreas but when someone has diabetes, little or no insulin is produced. Ideally, when you lack energy or your insulin levels are low, your liver will supply glucose to keep your body going.

This entire process is disrupted with low insulin levels. Most of the sugar ends up staying in your bloodstream instead of being absorbed by your cells. Having too much sugar in your blood can cause a lot of complications.

• You get hungry hard and fast. Since you have no insulin to let glucose into your body’s cells, your organs get depleted of energy fast. This results in abnormal hunger. Even after you’ve eaten, you may still lack energy and feel hungry.  This is because the sugar you’re supposed to get out of your food which will be converted into energy doesn’t get to your body’s cells.
• Fatigue. Without enough energy to keep you going, you will tend to get exhausted easily. This will affect the amount of time you can work. This fatigue may cause you to become irritable fast.
• Rapid loss of weight. Though you may be eating normally, since your muscles aren’t getting enough energy, they simply shrink. This kind of weight loss is abnormal and leaves you looking malnourished and weak.

One of the most dangerous risks that Type 1 diabetes sufferers face is heart problems. In fact, a survey shows that 65 % fatalities of heart related diseases are of people who have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Neuropathy or nerve damage is another serious risk sufferer’s face. With large amounts of sugar in the blood streams, blood vessels may get damaged. This usually happens in the capillaries that nourish the limbs especially legs. As a result, a tingling or numbness may occur in the tips of the fingers or the toes that may gradually spread upwards. In time, this excess sugar may result in the loss of feeling in the limbs.

What should you do?
Considering the seriousness of this disease, if one shows sighs of any of the Type 1 diabetes symptoms, they ought to consult a physician immediately.