Living With Juvenile Diabetes

Posts Tagged ‘ketoacidosis’

Type 1 diabetes often develops in children, adolescents, and young adults, so it’s sometimes called “juvenile diabetes”. It is not contagious, meaning you cannot “catch” diabetes like you could a cold or flu. While there is currently no cure for Type 1 diabetes, a person can often do very well if they can control the illness through diet, exercise, and proper use of insulin.

What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone that is normally produced in the pancreas in healthy individuals. This hormone helps the body change the sugar (glucose) that is taken in when we eat or drink into energy. In someone who does not produce insulin, either none or less than is needed, the level of sugar can increase in the blood causing hyperglycemia. If this condition is not treated in a timely manner or the sugar level becomes extremely high, the body can go into a state of ketoacidosis, a process that can lead to coma or death.

It is important to keep a healthy balance of glucose and insulin and is one of the bodies normal functions. However, if the pancreas is not producing the amount of insulin to function properly, it is often necessary to provide supplimental insulin via injection. This can lead to other problems such as hypoglycemia or low blood sugar if too much insulin is given or the person has not eaten a normal amount of food.

It is important to remember that diabetes can be your enemy if not watched very carefully, but if monitored and treated appropriately, most people can live a very normal life.