Diabetes Type 1 : Living without complications

Diabetes Type 1 - One study focused on people living with type 1 diabetes for more than fifty years. Amazing lessons can be learned ...

Diabetes and complications

This is precisely the complications of diabetes that looked this U.S. study (1). These are related to excess blood sugar or hyperglycemia as a result of diabetes, which damages blood vessels. They can no longer do their job properly: supply all organs of oxygen and nutrients. The complications are many.

As part of the study, the researchers focused on the most serious:

Cardiovascular disease,
Eye disorders - especially the retina - which can lead to blindness,
Damage to the nerves that trigger abnormal or painful sensations,
Kidney damage leading to kidney failure.
Note that these complications of diabetes exist for the type 1 and type 2, but type 1 is usually diagnosed early, it is more common to live with the disease for many decades.

diabetes Type 1  without complications

As the complications of diabetes settle with time, it seems logical that those suffering from this disease since childhood are very affected. Yet! Among 351 people with type 1 diabetes for more than fifty years, many of them living without complications:

86.9% do not have kidney disease;
51.5% do not have cardiovascular disease,
42.6% do not have eye problems
39.4% had no nerve conditions.

Diabetes: What are the mechanisms of protection against the complications?

How to explain this lack of some diabetic complications? Again, a surprise for the researchers: the absence of complications of diabetes does not appear to be directly linked to good blood glucose control over the years.

The importance of maintaining his blood sugar at the correct level, however, is not questioned. Its effectiveness has been proven many times in diabetics who live for a shorter time with the disease.

Researchers believe rather than "veterans" of type 1 diabetes have developed mechanisms that protect against complications of the disease. The role of proteins called the glycation end products (PTG) draws particular attention. They develop due to hyperglycemia and then accumulate in the body. In general, these proteins increase the likelihood of developing diabetes complications. But in these particular patients, some seem to have rather PTG a protective role. Further studies are underway to explain this paradox.

What can we learn from this study?

Currently, this study is especially interesting for specialists. An application to patients is still far away. However, for people with type 1 diabetes, two aspects of this study are to remember:

The average blood sugar in people with few complications was under control: they are well aware of the importance of controlling his blood sugar.
The majority of them do sports regularly, 45 minutes three times a week.

Posted in: Diabetes, Diabetes Complications, Diseases