Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. This means that your body can’t make insulin, a hormone that helps your cells move the glucose in your bloodstream into your cells for energy. This leads to consistently high blood glucose levels and can cause increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. Managing type 1 diabetes requires lifelong insulin therapy, regular blood sugar monitoring, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.
What Is Type 1 Diabetes? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and TreatmentMedically Reviewed by Kacy Church, MD | February 18, 2023
FAQ
What are the early signs of type 1 diabetes?
Early signs of type 1 diabetes can include frequent urination and sudden bedwetting in children, increased thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision. Sudden irritability and mood changes can also point to type 1 diabetes.
How is type 1 diabetes diagnosed?
Health professionals diagnose type 1 diabetes through blood tests, including a fasting blood glucose test, an A1C test, and a glucose tolerance test. They will also request an autoantibody test to confirm the type of diabetes.
Can type 1 diabetes be reversed?
Type 1 diabetes isn’t curable. However, you can live a full and active life with type 1 diabetes by taking insulin therapy, monitoring your blood glucose, and looking after your health through a controlled diet and regular exercise.
What is the life expectancy of someone with type 1 diabetes?
People with type 1 diabetes can live long and healthy lives when sticking to their treatment plans, although the condition does reduce life expectancy. Insulin therapy and glucose monitoring advances have significantly improved type 1 diabetes life expectancy.
What happens if type 1 diabetes is left untreated?
Untreated type 1 diabetes can lead to serious complications, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), heart disease, and damage to the kidneys, nervous system, feet, and eyes. It can also increase your risk of skin and mouth infections and pregnancy complications.
Poll
What is your biggest daily challenge living with type 1 diabetes?
Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
Anna L. Goldman, MD, is a board-certified endocrinologist. She teaches first year medical students at Harvard Medical School and practices general endocrinology in Boston.
Robert Jasmer, MD, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine. He is in private practice in Burlingame, California, where he specializin...
Sandy Bassin, MD, is an endocrinology fellow at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is passionate about incorporating lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition into endocrinology,...
Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle ...
Kacy Church, MD, practices as a clinical endocrinologist with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Burlingame, California. She balances both outpatient and inpatient responsibilitie...
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She comp...
Elise M Brett, MD, is a board-certified adult endocrinologist. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and her MD degree from the Icahn School of Medicine ...
Kristina D. Carter, PharmD, is a clinical pharmacist and freelance health writer who currently works in a managed care setting, performing quality audits on utilization management ...
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