by D. P. Noe

Created on: October 24, 2008   Last Updated: February 14, 2010

The diagnosis of diabetes and its numbers is on the rise in the United States. Type 1 diabetes can have devastating effects on your health and longevity. Diabetes increases your chances of having other illnesses related to your heart, circulation, kidneys, and eyes. Your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke are significantly increased when you are diabetic. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood and individuals with this disease have a high potential for complications as they get older.

The diagnosis of diabetes type 1 is hard to hear because it affects children and young adolescents. It is a life altering disease that mandates changes in your life or you will suffer the serious consequences if you do not keep the diabetes in control. This can be very challenging with young children, they do not want to be different and want to fit in with everyone else. A good supportive family is vital for the newly diagnosed young person with diabetes.

This disease used to be called juvenile diabetes. The diagnosis of type 1 diabetes means the pancreas does not produce any or very little insulin.Glucose is the body's main source of energy and it enters the cells of the body with the help of hormone known as insulin. If you do not have insulin because the pancreas is not able to produce it, glucose cannot pass through the wall of the cell. When glucose cannot get into the cells, it stays in the bloodstream. This is the reason why people with diabetes have high blood sugar levels. The organs of the body have to work very hard just to keep working and suffer damage because of the glucose remaining in the blood and not moving onto the cells.

Having a diagnosis of diabetes can be frightening. Because this disease is often diagnosed in childhood, it can be a very difficult time for the parents. The best advice is to learn about this disease and how to prevent conditions that diabetes can cause. Common conditions associated with diabetes are hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis. You will learn about the various insulin's and choosing the right kind of glucometer to measure your blood sugar. A diagnostic test called A1c will be done every few months because it gives a picture to the physician how well your blood sugar has been controlled. Some patients will also end up with an implanted insulin pump that releases doses of insulin throughout the day.

Diabetes is designated as an autoimmune disease that actually destroys the insulin producing cells

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