Diabetes Mellitus [mel-i-tuh s, muh-lahy-]: Also known as: type 1 diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which an individual’s pancreas stops producing insulin, resulting in dependence on externally injected insulin.
While the reasons behind the development of diabetes is not entirely clear, doctors believe that both a genetic marker and an environmental trigger cause the disease to surface. Unfortunately, T1D is completely unpreventable and there is currently no cure for the disease.
Leading up to the diagnosis of T1D an individual will have extreme thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and increased urination. People who are diagnosed with diabetes suffer from a lack of insulin being produced from their pancreas. Both low and high blood sugar (or glucose) are major components to leading a healthy lifestyle.
An individual will monitor their blood sugar levels through daily test with a meter that requires a drop of blood (produced through a finger prick), to determine the amount of sugar in their blood stream. A typical blood sugar level for a diabetic (ages 12 - adult) should fall between 70 - 150 mg/dl*. Once the blood sugar is determined, the individual can compensate for high blood sugar by injecting insulin through a syringe or pump or low blood sugar with juices, sugar or glucose tablets.
While keeping your blood sugar within the range mentioned above is an important component to living a healthy lifestyle for diabetics, diet and exercise are also key in keeping those numbers level.
*Additional Blood Glucose Target Ranges:
Infant - Young Child (up to age 7) - 100-200 mg/dl
Child (age 7 to 11 years old) - 80-160 mg/dl