Type I diabetes makes about 10 percent of the population of those living with diabetes. With the increasing burden of type 1 diabetes in Kenya. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of diabetes cases has risen and is expected to more than double in the next two decades. The numbers are expected to be higher because of the changing lifestyle. The other challenge is that many people with diabetes are undiagnosed. 

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type I diabetes was formerly known as juvenile diabetes, but since it can also affect adults, it’s referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes. This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease that can cause the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas to be destroyed. This prevents the body from having the ability to produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.

When blood glucose levels increase or decrease, or if insulin injections are missed, short term complications such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or ketoacidosis whereby blood sugar spikes and ketones build up to dangerous levels.

Long term complications of type I diabetes can lead to complications like stroke, retinopathy (blindness), heart disease, kidney disease, neuropathy to mention a few cases.

In all, type I diabetes requires regular insulin intake either by injection or insulin pump due to the loss of insulin production.

What are the symptoms?

Type I diabetes tends to develop more slowly in adults than it does in children and in some cases type I diabetes in adults may be misdiagnosed as type II diabetes. If symptoms are not treated it can be fatal. Some of the symptoms of type I diabetes include:

• Day time fatigue
• Feeling the need to urinate regularly
• Unexplained weight loss
• Extreme thirst 
• Itching of the genitals 

What are the causes of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system mistakenly targeting and killing beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin (Autoimmune). Thus, when pancreatic Beta cells are killed, Insulin becomes deficient and, the body cannot control blood glucose levels and symptoms start appearing.

How is type 1 diabetes diagnosed?

To diagnose type I diabetes, doctor use blood or urine tests. To confirm that a patient has type 1 diabetes, the following tests are done:

• GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase), an autoantibodies test 
• C-peptide tests – whereby C-peptide, a byproduct of insulin which helps indicates how much blood insulin is being produced.  
• Ketone test – whereby ketone test strips check for the presence of one type of ketone called acetoacetic acid. 

Conventional treatments for type 1 diabetes

For type I diabetes, insulin is administered by an injection with insulin pens. Insulin is also delivered by wearing insulin pumps.

Physical activity is also encouraged and a healthy meal plan is given to patients with type I diabetes so as to maintain a healthy blood sugar control.