Diabetes is a disease that affects a person’s sugar levels, keeping it higher or lower than usual. Type 1 Diabetes does so by attacking the insulin production of an organism (Diabetes Type 1, 2016). Insulin is a hormone that enables the cells of the body to absorb the sugar. Unlike other types of diabetes, Type 1 is the most understudied. It is relatively rare, too – only two to five percent of the afflicted population is diagnosed with this kind of disease (Maahs, West, Lawrence, & Mayer-Davis, 2011).
The scientists do not know the exact reason why it is happening, but popular theories suggest that a predisposition towards it tends to be hereditary. It means that genetics are largely involved. This paper is dedicated to researching the subject of Type 1 Diabetes, as it is important to raise awareness of such a disease in order to help mitigate their effects on the afflicted populace. Right now, due to the relative rarity of the disease, the populace is largely uninformed about this kind of illness.
Although Type 1 Diabetes can appear at any age, it seems to afflict young people more often. Groups under 20 years of age are most commonly at risk (Diabetes Type 1, 2016). It is the reason Type 1 is known as juvenile diabetes, and it can affect the life of a growing child quite a bit and in many ways. The importance of knowledge about the disease cannot be understated – while currently, there is no way to prevent the disease from happening; it is required to know how to mitigate the effects.
The target audience would be the children and young adults, who are more likely to be affected. Parents must also be made aware of the conditions, symptoms, and ways of dealing with them. After all, they are the ones who are going to be administering the treatment to their children and make sure it is followed.
Being diagnosed with Type 1 would affect a person’s lifestyle in both physical and psychological ways. It reduces stamina, causes eye blur, induces limb numbness and stomach aches, weight loss, urination, headaches, and all sorts of other symptoms that could cause a lot of problems to a young organism (Type 1 Diabetes, 2015). If not properly managed, it could keep a child away from many social activities, such as sports and active games. Neglecting the body’s inability to control its sugar levels could also be dangerous to one’s life. The psychological aspect of children having to live with the disease for the entire life must also be addressed – it could affect them greatly and cause serious self-esteem issues (Naranjo & Hood, 2013).
Being diagnosed with a case of diabetes is not a death sentence – many can live long and healthy lives with it if they are informed of the disease and know how to manage their sugar. For the most part, it is controllable with a healthy low-carbon diet, physical activities, and insulin injections (Type 1 Diabetes. How is it Treated? 2016).
The latter is necessary since Type 1 affects the body’s ability to produce insulin (Insulin Basics, 2015). It is something that could not be countered with exercises or a healthy diet. Scientists around the world are actively working to find the cause of Type 1 diabetes and come up with a cure. Until then, the only thing we could do is raise general awareness of the population to the problem, and promote healthy solutions to minimize their effects on peoples’ lives.
References
Diabetes Type 1. (2016). Web.
Insulin Basics. (2015). Web.
Maahs, D.M., West, N.A., Lawrence, J.M., & Mayer-Davis, E.J. (2011). Epidemiology of Type 1 Diabetes. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, 39(3), 481-497.
Naranjo, D., & Hood, K. (2013). Psychological Challenges for Children Living with Diabetes. Web.
Type 1 Diabetes. (2015). Web.
Type 1 Diabetes, How is it Treated? (2016). Web.