Type 1 diabetes
What causes it ?
By the time a person with
Type 1 diabetes experiences symptoms, almost all the beta cells in the pancreas have been destroyed. This destruction is almost certainly as a result of an automimmune process in which the body produces antibodies to its own cells. However, the details of the process are obscure. It seems that there must initially be a
genetic tendency for the disease, which is then triggered by an environmental event such as a viral infection. The third step in the process is an inflammation of the pancreas called
insulitis. The fourth step is an alteration in the surface of the
beta cell so that it is no longer recognised as “self” – part of the body – but is perceived by the immune system to be a foreign cell or “non-self”. The fifth step is the development of an immune response. The end result is the destruction of the beta cell and the development of
diabetes.
What are the symptoms and signs of Type 1 diabetes?
The characteristic symptoms of diabetes are:
- excessive thirst
- weight loss
- excessive urination
- tiredness
These symptoms may be abrupt, developing over a period of a few days. However, the first sign of Type 1 diabetes can also be
acidote coma, or near coma, as a result
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