Disease Report: Type 1 Diabetes

Zarate, Marina
Anatomy and Physiology
Mrs. Roberts
19 January 2012
Disease Report: Type 1 Diabetes
For over 2,000, diabetes has been recognized throughout history and for a long time, people were unable to find a remedy or cure for it. Not until the 17th Century was it that people began sampling their urine to test their blood sugar. It was then in 1921 that a surgeon named Frederick Banting with an his assistant Charles Best came up with insulin and were eventually able to save a dying young boy with diabetes’ life. But even with our continuous advancements, there is no cure for diabetes.
When people have little to no insulin hormone caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own pancreas, it is called Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes because it can develop rapidly in childhood. The immune system will sometimes miss identifies beta cells, the cells in the pancreas that produces insulin, as foreign cells and then attacks them. Insulin is used to turn the sugar in the foods you eat into energy so it is important to have it, otherwise it can cause dehydration, weight loss, blindness, and risks of going into a coma. There are many symptoms to look for that point to Type 1 Diabetes include being thirsty, hungry, dry mouth, nausea, frequent urination, and even a fruity smell of breath.
In order to be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, one would have to have their doctor check to see if one’s blood sugar levels are high. The doctor might also check the patients urine for glucose or ketone bodies. Even though Type 1 Diabetes can leave someone with horrible results, people are able to still live long and healthy lives while still living with this disease. The main key it to try to keep your blood sugar levels at a healthy target area by eating health, exercising, and using insulin therapy.
While there isn’t anyone in my family that I know of have had Type 1 diabetes, my mother had gestational diabetes with my youngest brother and my parental grandmother had gestational as well for the rest of her life after giving birth to my father. However, the way that my mother and grandmother were able to control their diabetes was also by diet, exercise, insulin therapy, and checking the blood sugar levels constantly. I image how hard it was for them would be harder for anyone with Type 1. Although, because my grandmother has had gestational since 1962, she was unable to manage her diabetes correctly until years later but in her last year, had both her legs amputated because of poor circulation which occurs in Type 1. As you can see, having Type 1 Diabetes can be an awful thing to have. And especially since it develops rapidly in children, it can be very hard for someone that age to grow up fast and have more responsibility. I hope that there will be a cure for this horrible disease.

Works Cited
"The History of Diabetes - Diabetes Health." Diabetes Health - Investigate, Inform, Inspire. 17 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/12/17/715/the-history-of-diabetes/>.
"Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) Causes, Symptoms, Treatments." WebMD Diabetes Center: Types, Causes, Symptoms, Tests, and Treatments. WebMD LLC. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/type-1-diabetes>.

Cited: "The History of Diabetes - Diabetes Health." Diabetes Health - Investigate, Inform, Inspire. 17 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. &lt;http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/12/17/715/the-history-of-diabetes/&gt;. "Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) Causes, Symptoms, Treatments." WebMD Diabetes Center: Types, Causes, Symptoms, Tests, and Treatments. WebMD LLC. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. &lt;http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/type-1-diabetes&gt;.