Type 1 diabetes

EDUCATION

You are the most important person in managing your diabetes. Diabetes education is a crucial part of the treatment plan. Diabetes education basically involves learning how to live with your diabetes.

Knowledge of disease management is imperative to avoid developing short-term complications such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and to delay or slow the onset of long-term complications of the disease such as diabetic retinopathy (eye disease) or nephropathy (kidney disease).

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You should be knowledgeable about the basic principles of diabetes management. Basic "survival skills" include:

how to recognize and treat low blood sugar(hypoglycemia)
how to recognize and treat high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
diabetes meal planning
how to administer insulin
how to monitor blood glucose and urine ketones
how to adjust insulin and/or food intake during exercise
how to handle sick days
where to buy diabetic supplies and how to store them

Support Groups:

For additional information and resources, see diabetes support group.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome for people with diabetes varies. Recent studies show that tight control of blood glucose can prevent or delay the progression of eye disease, kidney disease and nervous system disease that is caused by diabetes. However, complications may occur even when good diabetes control is achieved with insulin and diet.

Complications:

EMERGENCY COMPLICATIONS:

DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS
In a person with type 1 diabetes, the body will use fat as a fuel if insulin is not present. The by-products of fat metabolism are ketones. Ketones build up in the blood and "spill" over into the urine.
A condition called ketoacidosis develops when the blood is made acidic by the ketones.

HYPOGLYCEMIA
Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) occurs when the balance between insulin, food intake, and exercise is disturbed. Symptoms of mild hypoglycemia include hunger, nervousness, and fast heart rate. More serious hypoglycemia can lead to confusion and even loss of consciousness. Loss of consciousness due to low blood sugar is called hypoglycemic coma.

LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS:

People who have had diabetes for several years are likely to develop long-term complications, which can be minimized but not entirely eliminated by proper diabetic management:

VASCULAR DISEASE
By age 55, about 35% of men and women with type 1 diabetes have died from a heart attack compared to 8% of nondiabetic men and 4% of nondiabetic women.
People with type 1 diabetes are also at higher risk to develop blockages in the major arteries of the legs than nondiabetics. Lower the risk of vascular disease by aggressively treating cholesterol and blood pressure, exercising regularly, and avoiding or quitting tobacco products.