What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is a condition that affects blood sugar control. Approximately 4.7 million people in the UK have type 1 diabetes. It can happen at any age but typically presents itself during childhood.

When you have type 1 diabetes, your body can’t make a hormone called insulin.

Insulin is usually produced in your pancreas but because type 1 diabetes causes your body to attack the islet cells that produce the chemical, without intervention it makes it difficult to manage your blood sugar levels.^{1, 2}

There isn’t a cure for type 1 diabetes but treatment can help keep your blood sugar under control and minimise complications later in life.³

There is no clear reason why type 1 diabetes happens. There may be genetic factors which make it more likely for you to get type 1 diabetes, for example if a parent or sibling has it.³

There may be some environmental factors which increase your risk of getting type 1 diabetes, particularly if a family member has type 1 diabetes too. Environmental factors that can trigger type 1 diabetes include an unhealthy diet, exposure to sunlight, having a virus in early life and having poor gut health.⁴

If you suspect that you might have type 1 diabetes, you need to get checked as soon as possible.

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes progress quickly and can become life-threatening if they aren’t addressed.³

Type 1 diabetes causes a range of symptoms that will show up differently in different people, but there are signs you can look out for.

You might notice that you are constantly thirsty, feel very tired, are losing weight without trying to or need to urinate more, especially night.

You should also look out for:

• Itchiness around your genitals or repeat episodes of thrush
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing cuts on the skin
• Sweet smelling urine
• Vomiting and deep heavy breathing – this can be dangerous and needs immediate medical attention.^{3, 5}

If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important you get them checked by a GP. Your GP may offer you a urine test to check your blood sugar levels. If your GP suspects you have type 1 diabetes, you will be asked to go to a hospital for further tests.⁵

There is no cure for type 1 diabetes. Treatment is based on managing symptoms and controlling blood sugar levels in your body.

Since your body cannot produce insulin, you will have to take it through daily injections or via an insulin pump.⁶

A large part of your treatment is being comfortable with monitoring your carbohydrate intake and taking enough insulin to manage your blood sugar. The amount of insulin you take needs to match the amount of sugars contained in any carbohydrates you eat. To check your glucose level, you should be offered a glucose monitor or flash glucose monitor that will give you blood sugar readings whenever you need them.⁶

Occasionally, people with diabetes can become insulin resistant. Insulin resistance happens when the body does not respond properly to the insulin being administered. In cases of insulin resistance, people will be prescribed metformin.⁷

If your child has diabetes, they will be cared for by a specialist children’s diabetes care team until they are 17 years old. When your child is first diagnosed, you will have appointments with the care team every two weeks.

This team will help you with managing your child’s insulin, provide diet advice and carry out routine blood tests.

They can help you talk to your child’s teachers so that they can care for your child during the day.⁸

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a severe condition that can happen if type 1 diabetes isn’t treated. It happens when there is a severe lack of insulin in the body. This forces your body to use fat instead of sugar in the blood for energy.^{8, 9}

If DKA happens, your body will release chemicals called ketones which make the blood acidic. This can be life threatening if you don’t get treatment.⁹

Symptoms of DKA include:

• Extreme thirst
• Feeling confused, tired or faint
• Needing to urinate more frequently than usual
• Having blurred vision
• Having stomach ache, feeling or being sick
• Having sweet smelling breath.^{8, 9}