What is type 1 diabetes (T1D)?
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune condition that can develop at any age. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent type 1 diabetes, and right now there is no known cure.
Read on to find out more about type 1 diabetes (also known as T1D, type 1 diabetes mellitus, insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes).
Type 1 diabetes definition
When someone develops T1D, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own cells. In this case, the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin. This means that over time someone with T1D loses the ability to produce their own insulin.
When you eat, the food gets converted into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is what your body uses to get enough energy to live. Insulin is an essential hormone that’s needed to move glucose from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. In people with T1D, who don’t produce enough insulin, glucose accumulates in the bloodstream leading to high blood glucose levels. This not only means that their body can’t make enough energy to live but can also lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous condition.
Because their bodies can’t produce their own insulin, people with T1D must take insulin every day. They can do this through multiple daily injections or by using an insulin pump. They must also monitor their blood glucose levels using either finger prick testing or a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), a meticulous task, to know how much insulin their body needs. By managing their blood glucose levels, people living with T1D can stay healthy and reduce the risk of complications.
It’s a challenging condition, but with treatment and management, people living with T1D can live full and happy lives.
The long term impacts of living with T1D
In addition, if blood glucose levels are not kept within the optimal range using various management strategies, long-term health complications can occur. These include...
Kidney damage
Eye damage
Nerve damage to feet
Gum and tooth disease
Various mental health impacts, including diabetes distress, anxiety and depression
Damage to the nerves that control internal organ functions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you catch T1D?
T1D is not contagious. You can’t catch it like a cold, the flu or chicken pox. Doctors know some things about T1D, but they still don’t know what causes the condition. One thing they are sure of: people living with T1D did not catch it from anyone else. Neither can you!
What is the difference between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes?
T1D is an autoimmune condition. For reasons not fully understood, the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas. Without insulin, sugar (glucose) cannot move from the bloodstream into the cells of the body to provide them with the energy they need to function. Glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, leading to high blood glucose levels. People with T1D must take insulin manually, either through daily injections or from an insulin pump.
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic, rather than an autoimmune condition. This means that initially in people with type 2 diabetes, their beta cells are able to produce insulin normally, and therefore they don’t need to inject insulin to live. Instead, it is their body’s cells that don’t respond well to the insulin. This is called ‘insulin resistance’.
Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be managed through changes to diet and exercise, and can also be treated with other medication to help the body's cells respond to insulin (i.e. metformin). However, in some cases, and over time, the beta cells in people with type 2 diabetes can also become affected, requiring those people to require insulin therapy too.
Can I get T1D from eating too much sugar or junk food?
T1D is not caused by eating too much sugar or junk food.
T1D is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin – so it’s nothing to do with diet at all!
Does insulin fix T1D?
Insulin is not a cure for T1D, it’s a treatment. Everyone has a pancreas, and everyone needs insulin to live. Everyone with T1D has to make up for the fact that their pancreas no longer makes insulin. They take insulin through injections or an insulin pump.
Scientists are trying to find ways to fix or replace the damaged pancreatic cells in people with T1D. They hope the new cells will once again produce insulin. Now, that would be a cure!
Can people with T1D eat cake and ice cream?
Yes, they can! There is nothing a person with T1D ' can't eat', as long as they balance their insulin needs accordingly. But like everyone, a nutritious and balanced diet is recommended!
Can you tell if a person has T1D just by looking at them?
Sometimes people living with T1D use devices called insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors, which they attach to their bodies. But, the truth is, they’re just like everybody else! They look and act perfectly “normal”. It’s only their pancreases that do not work properly.
Can people with T1D lead normal lives?
They sure can! Living with T1D may not be easy, but people with the condition can do anything they set their minds to. There are actors, doctors, racing car drivers, footballers, writers, and even Olympic athletes who live with T1D.
Can you get rid of T1D with a special diet?
You can’t get rid of T1D because it’s not diet related. So, when people are saying they got rid of their diabetes, they’re likely talking about type 2 diabetes which can be helped with diet and exercise in some cases. For people who live with T1D in Australia, the only treatment available right now is insulin.
Can you get T1D if you’re not overweight?
This is a common myth about T1D. T1D affects people of all shapes and sizes.
Is T1D only for kids?
Not at all! Of the over 130,000 Australians living with T1D, the vast majority (nearly 90%) are adults aged 21 years and over. While it is more commonly diagnosed in childhood, it can be diagnosed at any age.
"My mission is to do all I can to enable a world where type 1 becomes type none"
Dr Aveni Haynes
"My hope is that more patients with type 1 diabetes will get access to pancreatic cell transplants so they'll be able to make insulin for themselves again"
Dr Toby Coates
"My ultimate goal is to help develop vaccines to prevent type 1 diabetes as well as therapies to treat people already diagnosed"
Dr Ki Wook Kim
Join the world’s largest walk towards a world without T1D
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