Introduction
Autoimmune disorders are specific types of diseases that have their own characteristic trait. These disorders happen when a body cannot find the difference between its own cells and foreign cells. As a result, the immune system causes an immune response attacking the body. Such a disease differs from infections, although the latter may cause a further autoimmune response (Sargsyan, 2020). This analysis describes insulin-dependent diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes. It destroys healthy cells because of the inability to metabolize glucose and transform it into energy.
Description
Insulin-dependent diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by the pancreas’s minor activity. Because of such inefficiencies, a small amount of insulin is produced, which causes a lack of sugar level control. What makes this disease an autoimmune disorder is the fact that insulin-producing islet cells are damaged by the body’s immune system (NaPier et al., 2020). During the preliminary stages of insulin-dependent diabetes, there is a dysregulation of cytokine levels and systemic growth factors (NaPier et al., 2020). Such type of diabetes is usually diagnosed among juveniles.
Signs and Symptoms
There is a huge list of possible symptoms associated with insulin-dependent diabetes. The major symptoms are increased hunger, frequent urination, and increased thirst (Kumar et al., 2020). The reason is that there is no sufficient insulin to convert glucose from food to energy. Hence, other symptoms are the loss of weight and constantly dry months. Another frequent sign of type 1 diabetes is the impaired healing of cuts and wounds. It happens with a similar logic – the inability to metabolize sugar into energy results in a high sugar level and, subsequently, a decreased healing ability. It should be noted that type 1 diabetes may be life-threatening.
Alterations of the Immune System
Being the classical case of autoimmune disorder, insulin-dependent diabetes produces similar immune system alterations as in other cases. Non-specific defense of human bodies destroys pathogens of any type, triggering prolonged inflammation (Kumar et al., 2020). It happens because the body responds to the damage to cells and tissues by activating inflammatory responses trying to repair these damaged elements. The great role in the immune system’s behavior may play genes, especially human leukocyte antigen genes (Lee & Hwang, 2019). These genes are responsible for encoding specific proteins to differentiate between self and foreign cells. Some alterations in these genes may be why the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells.
Treatment and Prognosis
The major treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes is regular insulin therapy. Such repeated insulin injection in the body is a crucial necessity to avoid life-threatening consequences (Kumar et al., 2020). However, as Kumar et al. (2020) note, “the exact reason behind diabetes is to stay unknown” (p. 842). Therefore, there are many other basic treatments that are prescribed for many other diseases: a healthy lifestyle, regular physical activity, and a proper diet. Although the prognosis differs from person to person, the overall perception is that accurate disease management may allow patients to live an active life.
Group Specifics
In general, type 1 diabetes is predominantly diagnosed among children and young adults. Physicians often refer to insulin-dependent diabetes as “juvenile diabetes” (Kumar et al., 2020, p. 838). The reason is that type 1 diabetes mostly affects those families with a history of diabetes among previous generations. Therefore, it is evident from an early age that an individual has insulin-dependent diabetes.
Conclusion
To conclude, insulin-dependent diabetes or type 1 diabetes is one of the most common autoimmune diseases among the American population. It makes innate immunity to attack bodies’ cells and tissues because it cannot distinguish between its own and foreign elements. The discussed disease is commonly diagnosed among juveniles and young adults and is treated by insulin therapy. In general, the proper treatments allow people to live a normal life without any health limitations.
References
Kumar, R., Saha, P., Kumar, Y., Sahana, S., Dubey, A., & Prakash, O. (2020). A review on diabetes mellitus: Type1 & type2. World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9(10), 838-850. Web.
Lee, H. S., & Hwang, J. S. (2019). Genetic aspects of type 1 diabetes. Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 24(3), 143-148. Web.
NaPier, Z., Kanim, L. E., Nelson, T. J., Salehi, K., Arabi, Y., Glaeser, J. D., Sheyn, D., & Metzger, M. F. (2020). The effect of insulin dependent diabetes on bone metabolism and growth after spinal fusion. The Spine Journal, 20(5), 800-808. Web.
Sargsyan, A. (2020). Essential notes on pathophysiology for advanced practice nurses. East Tennessee State University Press.