What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 Diabetes is one of the most common chronic illnesses in childhood. About 120 children are newly diagnosed in WA each year and the incidence is increasing worldwide.
We don’t currently know how to prevent or cure Type 1 Diabetes and its exact cause is not known. We do know, however, that it is not caused by eating too many sugary foods, a poor diet or an unhealthy lifestyle.
Type I Diabetes results from the immune system attacking the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. It’s not fully understood why this happens, although it is believed to be caused by a combination of susceptible genes and a ‘trigger’ from the environment.
As well as allowing the body to use glucose as an energy source, insulin is vital in the growth and development in children. Without insulin, the glucose levels in the blood rise uncontrollably (as it is unable to enter the cells) and the body is not able to use it as energy.
What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?
The main difference is that in comparison with Type 2, Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented and requires lifelong insulin replacement.
Diabetes is the term given to conditions where there are elevated glucose levels in the blood. There are different types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes and other rare types of diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune condition that is usually diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood and is caused when the pancreas loses its ability to make insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes – the most common type of diabetes – is a potentially preventable condition related to lifestyle factors including high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, insufficient physical activity and poor diet. It occurs when the body becomes resistant to the normal effects of insulin and/or gradually loses the ability to produce enough insulin. Usually the disease is discovered in adulthood but an increasing number of children are being diagnosed.
How are children diagnosed?
The symptoms of Type 1 are excessive thirst, frequent urination, bed wetting, weight loss, tiredness, constant hunger and vomiting.
Close to a third of all children who are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes present at hospital with high blood glucose levels with high ketones, a serious condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) that may require intensive care unit treatment. This can occur when there is a delay in the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.
How is Type 1 Diabetes managed?
People with Type 1 Diabetes require insulin therapy for life either through injections or an insulin pump and must regularly test their blood glucose levels by pricking their fingers, or using glucose-sensing devices. The aim is to keep blood glucose levels as close to the normal range as possible and avoid episodes of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) – which can both increase the risk of complications.
This involves a balance between:
- The administration of insulin: via injection or insulin pump
- The intake of food
- Any physical activity undertaken during that day
Is Type 1 Diabetes hereditary?
We don’t know whether Type 1 is hereditary or not. Even though most people who develop Type 1 have no relative with the condition, genetic factors can predispose people to developing it, and certain gene markers are associated with increased risk.
Is there a cure?
Currently, Type 1 Diabetes can’t be prevented and there is no cure, however it can bemanaged successfully by administering insulin, having a healthy, balanced diet and getting regular physical activity.
*If you suspect your child is displaying symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes, don’t delay – take them to your general practitioner or the emergency department of your nearest hospital as the condition can become very serious very quickly.
Our research impact
The Children's Diabetes Centre, based at the The Kids Research Institute Australia, is the only paediatric research centre of its kind in Australia, with the goal of improving the lives of children with Type 1 Diabetes and their families. Our researchers are continually working on new technologies and therapies to reduce the burden on children and families living with this condition.
Research at the Children’s Diabetes Centre has:
- Found that pump technology that suspends insulin delivery when blood glucose levels (BGLs) fall can halve the incidence of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) in young people with T1D compared with traditional treatments
- Quantified the glucose requirements for different exercise intensities and different insulin levels
- Quantified the impact of oral glucose and sprints on glucose requirements with exercise, and the impact of hyperglycaemia on performance – which will inform guidelines to assist people with T1D to exercise safely
- Determined precisely how much insulin is required for additional fat and protein in a meal using a novel insulin clamp technique
- Demonstrated that children diagnosed with T1D are twice as likely to develop mental health conditions during early adulthood compared with their non‐diabetic peers
- Shown that rates of T1D in childhood in Australia are increasing in a five-year cyclical pattern
- Conducted the world’s first survey of the impact of wearable diabetes technology and intimacy and relationships.
Our future program of work includes the following:
- We will continue our important work in the area of technology by refining engineering hardware and software algorithms, and conducting well-designed clinical trials of diabetes technology
- Our diet studies will look closely at the relationship between the amount of carbohydrate and insulin required to maintain healthy BGLs; as well as the impact on BGLs of other factors such as gastric emptying and the proportion of macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrate)
- We will continue our focus on exercise and T1D, with the ultimate aim of developing and trialling guidelines for people with T1D on how to manage exercise and their BGLs.
- We will continue our important work in understanding the risk factors and determinants of T1D through our epidemiological studies. This includes the Children’s Diabetes Centre involvement with the national ENDIA study that involves recruiting pregnant women who either have T1D or who have a partner with T1D to investigate the environmental determinants of T1D
- We are working to better understand the link between stress, anxiety and BGLs in young people
- We will be working to identify and trial interventions that improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents with T1D and their families
- We will continue to promote positive school experiences for children and young people with T1D and deeper understanding of school experiences of adolescents with T1D and how these help or hinder their psychosocial wellbeing.
Find out more about the Rio Tinto Children's Diabetes Centre.
