Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of type 1 DM come on suddenly and strongly. Typically the most prominent symptoms are excessive urination and extreme thirst. Other common symptoms are :
Bed-wetting in children who previously didn't wet the bed during the night
Unintended weight loss with no loss of appetite
Irritability and other mood changes
Fatigue and weakness
Chronic Symptoms
Due to their high blood glucose levels these patients are at risk for the long-term complications of diabetes such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease.
Over time some of these patients develop labile, or brittle diabetes and their blood glucose levels swing from high to low despite the best insulin plans. They start losing awareness of the early symptoms that warn them that their blood glucose level is dropping. This is called hypoglycemia unawareness and raises the risk of severe hypoglycemia. This is a life-threatening condition that is not easily treatable with medications.
There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes. These patients need to have healthy diet and regular exercise to keep blood sugar level at a normal and relatively constant level. Treatment of type 1 diabetes requires daily insulin injections.
