What Treatments Are Available For Type 1 Diabetes
>> Friday, December 23, 2011
Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease that stops someone from producing insulin, which is used to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. If the levels aren't regulated properly all manner of complications such as cardiovascular disease and seizures can occur. While there is unfortunately no known cure for the disorder or any way to prevent it, there are ways of managing the condition.
The most common treatment by far is insulin replacement therapy. Insulin is usually injected into the diabetic, although pumps and inhalers are also used, which in turn helps to manage the blood sugar levels. While daily injections can be a nuisance for many diabetics, especially when they are newly diagnosed or young, but inhalation or pumping is currently much more expensive. Being more vigilant about what is eaten - carbohydrate counting in particular - is also often a feature of everyday life for diabetics.
In extreme cases a pancreas transplant may be the best course of action for a diabetic. However, it is considered a more dangerous option than merely keeping up with insulin replacement therapy and so is not a practical solution for the majority of people affected by Type 1 diabetes.
Another type of transplant treatment that is currently being researched is islet cell transplantation. It's a lot less invasive than full on pancreas transplantation as it only involves taking donor islet cells and injecting them into the diabetic's liver, helping them to make insulin for themselves. Just like for pancreas transplants however, the patient will still need to take immunosuppressive drugs, making it unsuitable for some people.
Research into new treatments provides an exciting glimpse of what may be possible in the future. Other areas of research - such as how the autoantigen GAD65 can delay the destruction of beta cells when administered within 6 months of a patient being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, suggests that one day a way to prevent the condition may even be developed.
The most common treatment by far is insulin replacement therapy. Insulin is usually injected into the diabetic, although pumps and inhalers are also used, which in turn helps to manage the blood sugar levels. While daily injections can be a nuisance for many diabetics, especially when they are newly diagnosed or young, but inhalation or pumping is currently much more expensive. Being more vigilant about what is eaten - carbohydrate counting in particular - is also often a feature of everyday life for diabetics.
In extreme cases a pancreas transplant may be the best course of action for a diabetic. However, it is considered a more dangerous option than merely keeping up with insulin replacement therapy and so is not a practical solution for the majority of people affected by Type 1 diabetes.
Another type of transplant treatment that is currently being researched is islet cell transplantation. It's a lot less invasive than full on pancreas transplantation as it only involves taking donor islet cells and injecting them into the diabetic's liver, helping them to make insulin for themselves. Just like for pancreas transplants however, the patient will still need to take immunosuppressive drugs, making it unsuitable for some people.
Research into new treatments provides an exciting glimpse of what may be possible in the future. Other areas of research - such as how the autoantigen GAD65 can delay the destruction of beta cells when administered within 6 months of a patient being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, suggests that one day a way to prevent the condition may even be developed.
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