Well it is that time of the year again when the entire month of November is dedicated to Diabetes (but also other medical conditions) so for this month you are likely going to see a LOT of diabetic related stuff posted here because well it is something that I live with every day of my life and until a cure is found for Type 1 Diabetes it is something I will continue to live with.
30 Diabetic Facts
FACT 1
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an Autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells.
Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder in which the body still produces insulin but becomes insulin resistant.
FACT 2
Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by eating too many sweets or junk food. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the pancreas and the cells that produce insulin.
FACT 3
A person with diabetes must check their blood sugar every day. This involves poking their finder to draw blood and putting the blood in a test strip to receive a blood glucose “number”. A person with diabetes can check their blood sugar upwards of 8 times a day or more.
FACT 4
The percentage of people with Type 1 diabetes is far less common than Type 2 diabetes, about 90% – 94% of people with diabetes have Type 2.
FACT 5
Although diabetes is a serious and difficult disease, treatment options are improving all the time, and people with diabetes can lead full and active lives.
FACT 6
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycaemia, is the most common side effect of treating diabetes with insulin. Symptoms of hypoglycaemia include: Sweating, dizziness, shakiness, hunger, tingling sensation around the mouth, pale skin colour, headache, sugar moodiness or behaviour changes, clumsy or jerky movements, seizure, difficulty paying attention
FACT 7
Insulin is not a cure. Insulin injections or infusions allow a person with type 1 diabetes to stay alive, it do not sure the disease.
FACT 8
In many parts of the world, a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in a child is a death sentence. Access to insulin and testing supplies is limited in some developing nations. Life for a Child is one organization that helps get insulin and supplies to children throughout the world who would die without it.
FACT 9
Hypoglycaemia unawareness occurs when there are frequent episodes of low blood sugar. The body becomes used to the low blood sugar levels and no longer reacts in a normal way. This condition can be dangerous because the early behaviour signs are absent, thus preventing the low blood sugar from being identified and treated before it becomes severe.
FACT 10
Type 1 diabetes is no one’s fault. It can happen to anyone and it is not caused by anything they or their patents did or did not do.
FACT 11
Kids do not outgrow diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed. Once they’re destroyed, they will never make insulin again. Kids with type 1 diabetes will always need to take insulin (until a cure is found).
FACT 12
Glucagon raises the blood sugar when a person with type 1 diabetes is unable to swallow liquid or food. Glucagon, like insulin, must be injected with a syringe into the skin. It is a hormone that helps the liver release glucose in order to raise blood sugar levels.
FACT 13
There is no known way to prevent Type 1 Diabetes
FACT 14
World Diabetes Day! Today is Dr. Frederick Banting’s birthday. He discovered insulin in 1921. It was one of the most incredible break-throughs in medical history!
FACT 15
People with diabetes and their family members have a 20 percent risk for developing other autoimmune diseases as well, such as Celiac disease, Thyroid disease, and Addison’s disease.
FACT 16
There currently is NO cure for Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes
FACT 17
Diabetes is a 24 hour disease. Just because a person goes to sleep, doesn’t mean the diabetes does.
FACT 18
Exercise, illness, stress and growth all affect blood sugar levels
FACT 19
Symptoms and complications of hyperglycaemia include:
Nausea and vomiting
Deep and rapid breathing may occur with frequent sighing
Rapid heartbeat
Severe dehydration
FACT 20
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication caused by insulin deficiency. Severely low insulin levels cause excessive amounts of glucose in the bloodstream (hyperglycaemia). Fat breakdown then accelerates and increase the production of fatty acids. These fatty acids are converted into chemicals called ketone bodies, which are toxic at high levels.
FACT 21
Hemoglobin A1c (also called HbA`c, HA1c, or A1C) is measured periodically every 2 to 3 months to determine the average blood sugar level over the lifespan of the red blood cell. While finger pricks self-testing provides information on blood glucose for that day, the HbA1c test shows how well blood sugar has been controlled over the period of several months.
FACT 22
When blood glucose is high, a person may feel tired and not have enough energy to get things done.
FACT 23
Type 1 diabetes strikes both children and adults at any age. It comes on suddenly, and causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life.
FACT 24
Type 1 diabetes accounts for 14.9 billion in healthcare costs in the U.S. each year, while all types of diabetes combine to account for @245 billion in annual costs.
FACT 25
Diabetes is not contagious. It can’t be caught like a cold or flue.
FACT 26
Symptoms for Type 1 diabetes: extreme thirst, dry mouth, excessive urination, fatigue, drowsiness or lethargy, extreme hunger, sudden unexplained weight loss, fruity breath door, blurred vision, stomach pain, rapid, deep breathing, confusion.
FACT 27
The pancreas contains beta cells that create and release insulin, which acts to lower blood sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the brain, liver and kidneys.
FACT 28
A person with Type 1 diabetes must evaluate all food and/or drink that goes into their mouth. If it contains carbohydrates, a dosing decision must be made.
FACT 29
In the United States
a 504 plan is a document used by schools to ensure that children with diabetes are not discriminated against in any way. Schools that receive any type of federal funding must grant a 504 plan to a student with diabetes.
There are similar laws in other countries, if you are not aware of such laws, it is best that you contact you local diabetes organization to find out the information that is relevant to your country/area.
FACT 30
No one knows exactly what causes Type 1 diabetes, but certain autoimmune, genetic, and environmental risk factors may play a role. Type 2 diabetes is associated with risk factors including obesity, increased age, family genetics, ethnicity, and physical inactivity.