What is type 1 diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic condition in which the level of sugar in the blood is too high, known as hyperglycaemia. This can have several causes: either the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, or the insulin it does produce does not work well enough. In both cases the body's cells cannot absorb enough sugar (glucose), so it builds up in the blood. This is what we call diabetes mellitus. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels.
What types of diabetes are there?
There are several types of diabetes. The Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetes fund focuses specifically on type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune condition that accounts for 10-15% of all forms of diabetes and mostly, though not exclusively, affects children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 40. Type 1 diabetes cannot yet be cured.
The most common form is type 2 diabetes: 85% of people with diabetes have type 2. They have too little insulin in their body and do not respond to it well either (known as insulin resistance). Heredity plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, but obesity and lack of physical activity are often the trigger.
In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, known as beta cells, are destroyed by the immune system. This creates a shortage of insulin, which causes blood sugar levels to rise. From the moment of diagnosis it is necessary to measure blood sugar several times a day for life and to inject insulin or wear an insulin pump.
There are other variants of diabetes as well, such as gestational diabetes and a few rare forms.
Photo: The Doctor's Visit by Jan Steen, c. 1663-1665 (© Collection Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden, the Netherlands)
