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If the sufferer does not have a family history of the disease, the possibility of diabetes may not even be considered. Fortunately many of the common diabetic symptoms are similar to the more controllable form of the disease, Type 2 diabetes. Only 5-10% of the people expressing the classic diabetic symptoms will in the end be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Causes & Development
Type 1 diabetes sufferers have high blood glucose levels because their body does not have enough of the hormone insulin. This happens when the immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them, causing the pancreas to make little or no insulin. The body needs insulin to use sugar, which is the basic fuel for cells. Insulin allows the sugar in the blood to enter the cells. No one knows why type 1 happens. It is possible that in some genetically susceptible children, a continuous, even small-dose early exposure to bovine insulin in cow's milk may lead to loss of tolerance to insulin and subsequent Type 1 diabetes. Interestingly, one study found that in cases where the child had a diabetic mother rather than a diabetic father, this effect was less marked.
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