Characteristic symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes are:
- Excessive thirst
- Weight loss
- Excessive urination
- Tiredness
Symptoms may develop very quickly, over a period of a few days.
Unfortunately, the first sign of Type 1 diabetes can be acidote coma, or near coma, as a result of exceptionally high levels of glucose in the blood. This is a life-threatening state where due to a lack of insulin the glucose in the blood cannot enter the cells where it is desperately needed.
At this stage lipids are metabolized to ketones to prevent starvation and cell death. Ketones can be used as food by cells, even in the absence of insulin, the problem is that they are acidic in nature and can cause an acidosis. The a consequence of this condition is that the blood and the tissues are more acidic than normal, this may also lead to malfunctioning of some organs. A person with ketoacidosis would initially compensate by deep breathing, but after a while even this mechanism cannot cope. Patients tend to feel ill, complain of nausea and vomiting and have no interest in food. There is increased urine production and over a period of time, if the condition is not treated, drowsiness and eventually coma sets in.
Diabetic ketoacidosis can be detected because of the presence of ketones in the urine. Blood insulin levels in the blood may be low or unmeasurable.
Treatment of Type 1 diabetes
Key to treatment is the injection of insulin to maintain tightly controlled glucose levels at all times. Tight control is necessary for prevention of long term complications such as blindness and renal failure.