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Posted on Jun 01, 2005, 10 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Type 1 diabetes accounts for 3 percent of all new cases of diabetes each year. It is a lifelong disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin is the hormone that allows sugar to enter body cells. Once sugar enters a cell, it is used as fuel. Without adequate insulin, sugar builds up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells. The body is unable to use this sugar for energy despite high levels in the bloodstream.
Type 1 diabetes accounts for 3 percent of all new cases of diabetes each year. It is a lifelong disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin is the hormone that allows sugar to enter body cells. Once sugar enters a cell, it is used as fuel. Without adequate insulin, sugar builds up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells. The body is unable to use this sugar for energy despite high levels in the bloodstream. Within five to 10 years after diagnosis, the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are completely destroyed, and no more insulin is produced.
WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN? Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it usually starts in people younger than 30. Symptoms are usually severe and occur rapidly. Some symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Weight loss
- Decreased appetite
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Abnominal pain
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN? Researchers are not sure why type 1 diabetes occurs, but they are conducting studies to try to find out. Investigators from the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle are embarking on the largest and most ambitious research study ever undertaken to learn about the environmental causes of type 1 diabetes. The program will span almost two decades and involve the experiences of hundreds of thousands of families and children. The $35 million study is being funded by the National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Diseases. William Hagopian, M.D., lead researcher, says, "Millions of dollars have been spent on the genetics of type 1 diabetes, but family studies clearly show that environmental factors are equally important in causing the disease, and it's only now that we will be able to look at those factors in great detail."
POSSIBLE LINKS: Several studies show possible triggers for type 1 diabetes may include early exposure to cow's milk, an intestinal virus, or wheat products in the first few months of life. Dr. Hagopian says, "Just by avoiding a certain food or avoiding it in the first year of life or getting a vaccine for a viral infection, a common viral infection, it may be possible to decrease the risk of future diabetes substantially." Dr. Hagopian is hoping the study will identify three or four clear risk factors for type 1 diabetes that researchers can develop preventions for. 
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