Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Driving

Several studies conducted in the United States and some countries of Europe shows several striking results such as the collision rate of individuals (drivers) with type-1 diabetes is twice as that of normal or non diabetic individuals, which shows that there is increased risk of driving collisions in the individuals with Type 1 diabetes. There are several reasons for increased risk (double) of driving collisions for drivers who are suffering from, type 1 diabetes.

The first reason is eye complication (diabetic retinopathy) of patients with diabetes (type 1 diabetes as well as type 2 diabetes), which results in loss of vision (mainly peripheral vision) and/or visual acuity. Due to visual impairment, the driver with type 1 diabetes may not be able to read street signs properly, which may lead to motor accidents such as collisions. If drivers can not read the road signs properly, it may hamper driving, e.g. signs of speed limit, if missed may lead to accident due to over speeding.

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Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

At present type-1 diabetes is not a preventable disease. But there are several preventive therapies currently under study and emerging and many of the preventive therapies are showing promising results. Due to promising potentials of preventive therapies we can hope to be able to prevent type-1 diabetes before it manifests, at the latent autoimmune stage, by use of different preventive therapies, if required.

There are several different approaches currently under evaluation for prevention of type-1 diabetes, such as diet, immunosuppressant drugs, T-helper cell shift, vaccine (GAD65 vaccine is under study) etc.

Diet in prevention of type 1 diabetes:

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Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (type-1 diabetes as well as type-2 diabetes and other forms of diabetes such as Gestational diabetes, other specific types of diabetes) is based on clinical features of diabetes and laboratory findings. All forms (types) of diabetes are characterized by persistent or recurrent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) and symptoms such as, frequent urination, excessive thirst (may be as a result of frequent urination and passing of large volume of urine in a unit time), excessive hunger (despite excessive hunger diabetes patients are usually underweight/thin and not obese, especially if diabetes is present for long duration) and other associated symptoms (especially if any complication develop due to presence of diabetes in a patient for long duration, such as eye problems, kidney problems etc.) etc.

Diagnosis of diabetes is established (according to World Health Organization criteria for diagnosis of diabetes) if any of the following criteria is fulfilled:

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Environmental Causes of Type-1 Diabetes

Environmental factors can trigger and express type-1 diabetes, especially among genetically predisposed individuals. The environmental factors play a major role in causation of type 1 diabetes is clear from the fact that if one identical twin has type 1 diabetes, only 30%-50% of the cases the other twin also has, type 1 diabetes, despite having exactly the same genome or genetic make up. There are various environmental factors that are considered to have role in causation of type-1 diabetes, such as virus, diet, drugs and chemicals etc.

Virus in causation of type-1 diabetes:

There are several viruses (such as rubella virus, Coxsackie virus etc.), which are implicated to have a causative role in type-1 diabetes, but in most cases the evidences are inconclusive. All individuals infected with the above mentioned viruses do not develop type-1 diabetes and it is postulated that genetic predisposition and infection with rubella virus or Coxsackie virus predispose an individual to develop type-1 diabetes and virus acting as trigger.

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Genetical Factors in Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus occurs due to a complex interaction between genetical susceptibility, exposure to different environmental factors and a diabetogenic trigger, at least according to current evidence. Many risk factors responsible for or associated with type 1 diabetes are suggested and research is going on.

Genetic factors in causation of type 1 diabetes:

There are many genes which contribute in expression as well as causation of type 1 diabetes. The location of gene can make it dominant, recessive or in between these two. One of the most important and strongest genes responsible for causation of type 1 diabetes is IDDM-1 gene located on chromosome 6. Variation of this gene (such as DRB1 0401, DRB1 0402, DRB1 0405, DQA 0301, DQB1 0302 and DQB1 0201 and seen among Europeans as well as North Americans of European ancestry, increase risk of type 1 diabetes) can lead to increase incidence of type 1 diabetes and some variants can protect against type 1 diabetes.

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Know about Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is also known as IDDM or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, as insulin must be taken by the patients suffering from type 1 diabetes, as they can not secrete insulin due to destruction (autoimmune destruction) of insulin secreting beta cells of pancreas. Formerly, type 1 diabetes was known as juvenile diabetes, because, type 1 diabetes occurs at young age group.

What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?

Due to lack or absence of insulin, glucose concentration in blood increase and also there is excretion of glucose in urine. Increase of blood glucose and excretion of glucose in urine gives rise to classical symptoms of diabetes, polyuria (frequency of urination due to increase production of urine), polydipsia (increase thirst) and polyphagia (increase hunger). Despite increase in hunger, patients of type 1 diabetes suffer from weight loss and fatigue, which are also in important symptoms of diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes mellitus.

There is no cure for diabetes (all types of diabetes including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and other forms of diabetes). But there are several organizations and research foundations which are trying to find type 1 diabetes cure.

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