Type 1 Diabetes Complications

Medically Reviewed by Dr Sravya, MBBS, MS

Table of Contents

Introduction

Type 1 diabetes, juvenile diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes can be defined as a chronic condition where the beta cells of the pancreas produce little to no insulin.

Let’s simplify and understand the anatomy of the pancreas in detail to better understand the condition.

Your pancreas consists of the following:

Let’s understand that your body’s immune system is targeting the beta cells in your pancreas, causing them to stop generating adequate insulin. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes results from insufficient insulin production by the pancreas, which causes your body to become resistant to insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin because your pancreas does not make enough insulin. In both cases, there is an issue with insulin; however, the causes for both conditions differ from each other.

The population with type 1 diabetes is around 0.8%. Type 1 diabetes is rare compared to type 2. Type 2 diabetes is called juvenile diabetes because it is more commonly seen in children than adults.

In This Article

Causes

It is unclear what specifically causes type 1 diabetes. If we were to talk about insulin, this hormone serves as fuel for the body and is necessary for the body.

However, according to research studies, type 1 diabetes is brought on by damage to the pancreas’ beta cells, which may occur as a result of pancreatic injury or an underlying condition that causes damage to the cells, which in turn has the same result as stated earlier.

Risk Factors

According to the findings, about 0.8% of people have type 1 diabetes, and both genders, male and female, are affected equally.
However, there are some other factors that we need to consider and they are

Symptoms

Type 1 diabetes has some markedly characteristic signs and symptoms, which we will be discussing as follows:

General Complications In Type 1 Diabetes

When we talk about the complications of type 1 diabetes, there are certain factors we need to understand that lead to those complications.

Managing type 1 diabetes is 50-50 between the physician’s and patient’s sides, where the physician recommends medications and additional advice to follow, and the patient follows them. In any case, if there’s an error on behalf of either of them, it could lead to complications.

When Can Type 1 Diabetes Complications Occur?

Certain factors can lead to extreme complications, and they are:

Poorly controlled diabetes

This could be a patient or physician error. Factors like –

Diet: If the patient does not follow a healthy diet and consumes unhealthy food or drinks, this could lead to complications. One must follow a strict diet for diabetes that consists of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Lack of physical activity: If the patient does not follow a good amount of physical activity, then the chances of complications may arise.
Medications: For any reason, if the patient refuses to take the medications, the chances of complications may increase because it is important to manage sugar levels in type 1 diabetes.

Managing your blood sugar levels is the major goal of treatment for type 1 diabetes, as is well known.
When blood sugar levels aren’t properly controlled, complications can occur. Some of the complications seen in type 1 diabetes are as follows:

SL.NO	COMPLICATIONS	REASON
1.	Cardiovascular diseases	Over time, high glucose levels in the blood could damage the coronary arteries. This means you’re more likely to suffer from blood clots, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol if you’re suffering from diabetes. These may result in ● cardiac failure, ● a heart attack, ● a stroke, or ● discomfort in the chest.
2.	Skin Infections	Uncontrolled diabetes will lead to severe skin infections, like ● tinea, ● tiny blisters, ● skin rashes, and ● other unwanted skin lesions that could cause additional discomfort. the one already in existence.
3.	Gum Diseases	Gum disease is an illness that affects your mouth’s soft tissues and has the potential to destroy the bones that support your teeth. The seriousness of gum issues could range from inflamed gums to tooth loss
4.	Pregnancy Complications	It has been found that pregnant women with type 1 diabetes can safely give birth, but if the sugar levels are not managed, it could lead to further complications like vision loss, kidney damage, or high blood pressure.
5.	Diabetic Retinopathy	High sugar levels in the blood could cause damage to the retina, which could cause blurry vision. Cataracts and glaucoma are pretty common in type 1 diabetes
6.	Diabetic Nephropathy	Damage to nephrons in the kidney due to poorly controlled sugar levels. Microalbuminuria (a level of urine albumin that is higher than the normal value) is the earliest clinical sign of diabetic nephropathy. There are further complications from damage to the nephrons, which could lead to kidney failure and much more.
7.	Diabetic Neuropathy	High blood sugar (such as glucose) levels may damage the body’s nerves in general. This may lead to tingling and numbness.
8.	Digestive Problems	When there is damage to the nerves, that could also lead to nausea and vomiting.

Treatment

The main goal of the treatment is to manage blood sugar levels.

Your doctor will notify you of the range that your results must fall into. You might have to adjust your insulin consumption, eating habits, and movement.

Diet: Include fresh fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins and iron. One must not consume sugar or carbonated beverages. Stay away from fatty foods and packaged foods.
Physical Activity: A morning walk of 30 minutes should be performed regularly by the patient with type 1 diabetes and its complications.
Medications: Your doctor will usually address three things when addressing insulin:

(i) “Onset” describes how long it will take for the drug to enter your bloodstream and start to reduce your blood sugar.
(ii) “Period” is a period when insulin is most successful at reducing your blood sugar levels.
(iii) “Duration” refers to just how long it remains to function after commencing.

Since the primary role of insulin is to transport glucose from the bloodstream to the cells that produce energy, external sources of insulin become necessary when the body cannot produce enough of it or if its production is insufficient.

There are five main types of insulin :

(i) Long-acting insulin
(ii) Short-acting insulin
(iii) Rapid-acting insulin
(iv) Intermediate-acting insulin
(v) Mixed insulin

With correct treatment and care, it becomes easier to manage type 1 diabetes complications, thereby preventing complications and keeping health at its best. One can lead a stress-free life if all the factors are taken into consideration. and the consideration and management of blood sugar levels kept them at the normal level.