Many of us may think that most people can control or cure their diabetes simply by cutting down on sugary food and doing a little bit more exercise. These people are unaware that there is more than one type of diabetes. People living with type 1 diabetes can only control their condition, which isn't caused by lifestyle factors, by administering insulin on a daily basis.
Even someone who successfully controls their type 1 diabetes will have their life cut by many years because of the condition. Meanwhile those who have difficulties throughout their life - perhaps because of growth spurts as a child or stress in adulthood - could have unpleasant symptoms or develop serious complications. The only hope for people with type 1 diabetes to live a life that doesn't revolve around insulin is to find a cure.
However, there is a shortage of available pancreases and pancreatic beta cells meaning that it is unlikely it could ever work as a cure on a widespread basis (there are around 300,000 people in the UK alone with type 1 diabetes). The transplants that have taken place so far also require the patient to take a large amount of immunosuppressive drugs, just to protect the transplanted tissue.
Charities and organisations dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes claim that a big problem they face is getting the funding they need. While there is a large amount of funding available for diabetes generally, a large proportion of this is used on type 2 diabetes research.
While we cannot be certain about how long it will take us to find a cure, many are optimistic that a child with type 1 diabetes will live to see the day a cure is discovered. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other things to be happy about when it comes to type 1 diabetes research, including improved treatments and a greater understanding of its causes.
Even someone who successfully controls their type 1 diabetes will have their life cut by many years because of the condition. Meanwhile those who have difficulties throughout their life - perhaps because of growth spurts as a child or stress in adulthood - could have unpleasant symptoms or develop serious complications. The only hope for people with type 1 diabetes to live a life that doesn't revolve around insulin is to find a cure.
However, there is a shortage of available pancreases and pancreatic beta cells meaning that it is unlikely it could ever work as a cure on a widespread basis (there are around 300,000 people in the UK alone with type 1 diabetes). The transplants that have taken place so far also require the patient to take a large amount of immunosuppressive drugs, just to protect the transplanted tissue.
Charities and organisations dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes claim that a big problem they face is getting the funding they need. While there is a large amount of funding available for diabetes generally, a large proportion of this is used on type 2 diabetes research.
While we cannot be certain about how long it will take us to find a cure, many are optimistic that a child with type 1 diabetes will live to see the day a cure is discovered. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other things to be happy about when it comes to type 1 diabetes research, including improved treatments and a greater understanding of its causes.
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