A whole new world

Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult can be a challenging and confusing time. In this extract from the JDRF's new book, Straight to the Point, they explain what's going on and what to say to people who make uninformed comments about your condition

Why me?

If you've just been diagnosed with diabetes you're probably wondering, 'Why me?' It's important to know it's not your fault that you have type 1 diabetes, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. It's not associated with a poor diet or an unhealthy lifestyle.

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. For reasons we don't yet understand, your immune system which is meant to protect you from foreign bodies, such as viruses and bacteria - mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in your pancreas that produce insulin.

Insulin is crucial to life. Without it, glucose can't move from your bloodstream into the cells of your body to provide them with energy to function. When your pancreas fails to produce insulin, glucose levels in your bloodstream start to rise and your body can't function properly. Over time, this high level of glucose in the blood may damage nerves and blood vessels and the organs they supply.

What causes type 1 diabetes?

There's an enormous amount of research into what causes type 1 diabetes, but so far there are no clear answers.

What is known is that in most cases:

> Failure of the pancreas is due to damage inflicted by your immune system.

> Something triggered your immune system to attack your beta cells.

> Certain genes put people at a greater risk for developing type 1 diabetes, but are not the only factors involved.

> While there are no proven environmental triggers, researchers are looking for possible culprits, such as viral infections and toxins within our environment and foods.

I thought only kids got type 1 diabetes?