Type 1 Diabetes May Cut Life Span, But Intensive Treatment Can Help Close The Gap
People with type 1 diabetes may have a shorter life expectancy than their peers, but intensive treatment may help offset that risk, say two separate new studies. In the first study, published in JAMA, Shona J. Livingstone of the University of Dundee in Scotland and her colleagues compared the life expectancy of Scottish men and women ages 20 and older who had type 1 diabetes to a group of adults without the condition. Life expectancy after age 20 was an additional 46.2 years among men with type 1 diabetes, but 57.3 years among men without the condition, an estimated loss of 11.1 years. Find the Best Diabetes Blogs of the Year » The life expectancy after age 20 for women with type 1 diabetes was an additional 48.1 years, compared to 61 years among women without it, an estimated loss of 12.9 years for women with diabetes. In the general population without type 1 diabetes, 76 percent of men and 83 percent of women lived to age 70, compared with 47 percent of men and 55 percent of women with type 1 diabetes. The study also showed that even patients with type 1 diabetes who still had good kidney function had reduced life expectancy. Heart Disease, Diabetic Comas Are Common Causes of Death Dr. Helen Colhoun, a professor of public health at the University of Dundee and a co-author of the study, told Healthline that heart disease, heart attacks, and diabetic comas were responsible for the largest percentage of the estimated loss in life expectancy for patients younger than 50. Colhoun said, “The data are good news for people with type 1 diabetes. They show much better average life expectancy than older reports from other countries. At the same time, they also show that further work needs to be done to get to a goal of no reduction in life span. These data emphasize that effo Continue reading >>
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Type 1 Diabetes Linked To Lower Life Expectancy
HealthDay Reporter today lose more than a decade of life to the chronic disease, despite improved treatment of both diabetes and its complications, a new Scottish study reports. Men with type 1 diabetes lose about 11 years of life expectancy compared to men without the disease. And, women with type 1 diabetes have their lives cut short by about 13 years, according to a report published in the Jan. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings "provide a more up-to-date quantification of how much type 1 diabetes cuts your life span now, in our contemporary era," said senior author Dr. Helen Colhoun, a clinical professor in the diabetes epidemiology unit of the University of Dundee School of Medicine in Scotland. Diabetes' impact on heart health appeared to be the largest single cause of lost years, according to the study. But, the researchers also found that type 1 diabetics younger than 50 are dying in large numbers from conditions caused by issues in management of the disease -- diabetic coma caused by critically low blood sugar, and ketoacidosis caused by a lack of insulin in the body. "These conditions really reflect the day-to-day challenge that people with type 1 diabetes continue to face, how to get the right amount of insulin delivered at the right time to deal with your blood sugar levels," Colhoun said. A second study, also in JAMA, suggested that some of these early deaths might be avoided with intensive blood sugar management. In that paper, researchers reduced patients' overall risk of premature death by about a third, compared with diabetics receiving standard care, by conducting multiple blood glucose tests throughout the day and constantly adjusting insulin levels to hit very specific blood sugar levels. "Across the board, indiv Continue reading >>
One Day In The Life Of Type 1 Diabetes
DAY 4161 Living with Diabetes As I sit up in bed, my head spins. It’s 7 a.m. I’m shaking, sweating and scared. It’s only then I realize that I missed dinner last night. I know that my blood sugar is dangerously low. I also know that apart from my 13-year-old sister, I’m home alone. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a muesli bar sticking out of my handbag. I try to get out of bed and reach for it, in an attempt to bring my blood-sugar up. That’s the last thing I can remember. My name is Shelby. I’m your average 21-year-old, aside from the fact that I have had Type 1 diabetes since I was 9. One morning in January of 2014, my blood sugar dropped so low that I had a seizure and knocked myself unconscious after hitting the back of my head on my bed frame. It was the first time that an ambulance had ever been called for me. Apart from this instance, I have had several serious hypoglycemic episodes — I’ve had a seizure whilst on camp visiting a crocodile farm, I’ve smashed drinking glasses in my hands in an attempt to fix my blood sugar and I’ve buttered my hands whilst trying to make myself a sandwich. If you haven’t already guessed it, I’m extremely stubborn and independent. I don’t like asking for help; however, it’s because of my diabetes that I have had to learn how to ask for such. Diabetes is debilitating. Diabetes is devastating. Diabetes is draining. We’re allowed to have good days and bad days; just like everyone else. We just need to be prepared. Even on our bad days, we are still diabetics. We still have to stop and test our blood sugars and give insulin. We have highs (fun fact: we don’t understand how odd it sounds to others when we’re in public and say, “I think I’m high”) and then we also have lows (literally). Our blood Continue reading >>
What Is The Life Expectancy For Diabetics?
Diabetes is recognized as one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. There was a time when Type 2 diabetes was common in people in their late forties and fifties. However, thanks to the easy availability of processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, poor sleep and a host of other unfavorable factors, type 2 diabetes affects millions of young adults throughout the globe today. A report was commissioned in 2010 by the National Academy on an Aging Society. It showed that diabetes cut off an average of 8.5 years from the lifespan of a regular, diabetic 50-year-old as compared to a 50-year-old without the disease. This data was provided by the Health and Retirement Study, a survey of more than 20,000 Americans over the age of 50, done every two years by the University of Michigan. Characterized by high blood glucose levels, T2D can be the result of a combination of genes, obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. If left untreated, diabetes can be life-threatening. Complications of this disease can take a serious toll on a patient’s health and well-being. So, how long do diabetics live, you ask? Does having diabetes shorten one’s life? Let’s address these questions, one by one. MORE: Decoding The Dawn Phenomenon (High Morning Blood Sugar) How Long Do Diabetics Live? Diabetes is a system-wide disorder which is categorized by elevated blood glucose levels. This blood travels throughout the human body and when it is laden with sugar, it damages multiple systems. When the condition is left unchecked or is managed poorly, the lifespan of diabetic patients is reduced due to constant damage. Early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes for preventing its long-term complications is the best coping strategy. So, don’t ignore your doctor’s advice if you’re pre-diabeti Continue reading >>
Life Expectancy For Type 1 Diabetes May Be Improving
(Reuters Health) - On average, people with type 1 diabetes die 11 to 13 years earlier than people without the condition, according to a new study from Scotland. While the news may be disheartening for people with type 1 diabetes, the study’s senior researcher said the new results are more encouraging than previous estimates that found larger gaps in life expectancies. An important message is that the difference in life expectancy is narrowing, said Dr. Helen Colhoun of the University of Dundee School of Medicine in Scotland. “It’s not zero,” she said. “The goal is to get it to zero.” Among people with type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin removes sugar from the bloodstream so it can be used for energy. Instead, those people need to inject insulin and pay special attention to their blood sugar – or glucose – levels. Untreated, type 1 diabetes can lead to heart, blood vessel, kidney, eye, and nerve damage. About 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 5 percent of those have type 1 diabetes. The researchers write in JAMA that according to earlier data from the U.K., people there with type 1 diabetes died an average of 15 to 20 years earlier than nondiabetics. A 1970s report put the decrease in life expectancy at 27 years for type 1 diabetics in the U.S., and a 1980s report from New Zealand put it at 16.5 years. “They’re mostly very old,” Colhoun said of the estimates. She said the correct information is important, because it shows how far care for type 1 diabetes has come. For the new study, the researchers used national data from Scotland on 24,691 people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes Continue reading >>
Diabetes Life Expectancy
Tweet After diabetes diagnosis, many type 1 and type 2 diabetics worry about their life expectancy. Death is never a pleasant subject but it's human nature to want to know 'how long can I expect to live'. There is no hard and fast answer to the question of ‘how long can I expect to live’ as a number of factors influence one’s life expectancy. How soon diabetes was diagnosed, the progress of diabetic complications and whether one has other existing conditions will all contribute to one’s life expectancy - regardless of whether the person in question has type 1 or type 2 diabetes. How long can people with diabetes expect to live? Diabetes UK estimates in its report, Diabetes in the UK 2010: Key Statistics on Diabetes[5], that the life expectancy of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to be reduced, as a result of the condition, by up to 10 years. People with type 1 diabetes have traditionally lived shorter lives, with life expectancy having been quoted as being reduced by over 20 years. However, improvement in diabetes care in recent decades indicates that people with type 1 diabetes are now living significantly longer. Results of a 30 year study by the University of Pittsburgh, published in 2012, noted that people with type 1 diabetes born after 1965 had a life expectancy of 69 years.[76] How does diabetic life expectancy compare with people in general? The Office for National Statistics estimates life expectancy amongst new births to be: 77 years for males 81 years for females. Amongst those who are currently 65 years old, the average man can expect to live until 83 years old and the average woman to live until 85 years old. What causes a shorter life expectancy in diabetics? Higher blood sugars over a period of time allow diabetic complications to set in, su Continue reading >>
People With Type 1 Diabetes Are Living Longer
Better blood sugar control may be the key to longer survival Ninety years ago, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence: half of people who developed it died within two years; more than 90% were dead within five years. Thanks to the introduction of insulin therapy in 1922, and numerous advances since then, many people with type 1 diabetes now live into their 50s and beyond. But survival in this group still falls short of that among people without diabetes. A Scottish study published this week in JAMA shows that at the age of 20, individuals with type 1 diabetes on average lived 12 fewer years than 20-year-olds without it. A second study in the same issue of JAMA showed that people with type 1 diabetes with better blood sugar control lived longer than those with poorer blood sugar control. Types of diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. This usually happens before age 20. Insulin is needed to get blood sugar (glucose) into cells for energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. This damages cells and tissues throughout the body. People who develop type 1 diabetes need to take insulin via shots or a pump for life. Type 2 diabetes tends to occur later in life, usually among individuals who are overweight or inactive. It accounts for about 90% of all diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes often make enough insulin, at least at first, but their cells don’t respond to it. As with type 1 diabetes, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, damaging cells and tissues throughout the body. Type 2 diabetes is initially treated with lifestyle changes such as weight loss, more exercise, and a healthier diet. Medications that make the Continue reading >>
Why Do Some Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Live So Long?
Go to: Abstract While the lifespan of people with type 1 diabetes has increased progressively since the advent of insulin therapy, these patients still experience premature mortality, primarily from cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, a subgroup of those with type 1 diabetes survives well into old age without significant morbidity. It is the purpose of this review to explore the factors which may help in identifying these patients. It might be expected that hyperglycaemia plays a major role in explaining the increased incidence of CVD and mortality of these individuals. However, while a number of publications have associated poor long term glycaemic control with an increase in both all-cause mortality and CVD in those with type 1 diabetes, it is apparent that good glycaemic control alone cannot explain why some patients with type 1 diabetes avoid fatal CVD events. Lipid disorders may occur in those with type 1 diabetes, but the occurrence of elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol is positively associated with longevity in this population. Non-renal hypertension, by itself is a significant risk factor for CVD but if adequately treated does not appear to mitigate against longevity. However, the presence of nephropathy is a major risk factor and its absence after 15-20 years of diabetes appears to be a marker of long-term survival. One of the major factors linked with long-term survival is the absence of features of the metabolic syndrome and more specifically the presence of insulin sensitivity. Genetic factors also play a role, with a family history of longevity and an absence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in the family being important considerations. There is thus a complex interaction between multiple risk factors in determining which patients with type Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent diabetes, juvenile) is a condition in which the body stops making insulin. This causes the person's blood sugar to increase. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is attacked by the immune system and then it cannot produce insulin. In type 2 diabetes the pancreas can produce insulin, but the body can't use it. Causes of type 1 diabetes are auto-immune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells. This can be caused by viruses and infections as well as other risk factors. In many cases, the cause is not known. Scientists are looking for cures for type 1 diabetes such as replacing the pancreas or some of its cells. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are family history, introducing certain foods too soon (fruit) or too late (oats/rice) to babies, and exposure to toxins. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are skin infections, bladder or vaginal infections, and Sometimes, there are no significant symptoms. Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed by blood tests. The level of blood sugar is measured, and then levels of insulin and antibodies can be measured to confirm type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin and lifestyle changes. Specifically, meal planning to ensure carbohydrate intake matches insulin dosing. Complications of type 1 diabetes are kidney disease, eye problems, heart disease, and nerve problems (diabetic neuropathy) such as loss of feeling in the feet. Poor wound healing can also be a complication of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, however, keeping blood sugar at healthy levels may delay or prevent symptoms or complications. There is currently no cure, and most cases of type 1 diabetes have no known cause. The prognosis or life-expectancy for a person with Continue reading >>
Life Expectancy For Type 1 Diabetes
New study shows recent improvement in years of life lost. With minimal studies to evaluate the impact of type 1 diabetes on life expectancy, studies have been developed to retrospectively look at the effects of diabetes on mortality. Diabetes was also compared to other disease states and causes that had an influence on years of life lost (YLL). The YLL of patients with type 1 diabetes and patients with other disease states were compared to those of the general healthy population. This autoimmune disorder accounts for 10% of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes, and the ability to prevent the development of type 1 diabetes is minimal. Causes have been linked to genetics, and viral infections such as mumps, rubella, cytomegalovirus, measles, influenza, encephalitis, polio, or Epstein-Barr virus. In a study conducted on Australians with type 1 diabetes between the years of 1997 and 2010, researchers looked at the estimated YLL of the type 1 diabetic patients compared to the general public. Researchers used the Chiang method to estimate life expectancy and Arriaga’s method to estimate the impact of age-specific and cause-specific mortalities. Results showed no disparity in terms of YLL from type 1 diabetes in women vs. men. When the YLL was organized into two groups, 1997-2003 and 2004-2010, the 2004-2010 groups showed improvement in life expectancies of 1.9 years in men and 1.5 years in women. Overall, over the time period of the study, patients with type 1 diabetes had a life expectancy of 12.2 years less than the general population. The majority of the YLL was attributed to endocrine and metabolic diseases that occurred between the ages of 10-39, and circulatory diseases that occurred after the age of 40. Medical advances over the years may account for the YLL improve Continue reading >>
Living A Full Life With Type 1 Diabetes
Kimmy Kauffman, 19, has had Type 1 diabetes since she was diagnosed when she was seven. She braces herself against a wall in her home while giving herself a shot of insulin Wednesday afternoon, May 25, 2016. “You’re always thinking about it. I always have to think ahead especially when I’m exercising. I have to bring insulin and Gatorade with me,” Kauffman said. Kauffman attends Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. and just started the Nursing program. Doug Engle/ Ocala Star-Banner By Joe Callahan / Staff writer There are 21 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the United States, or about 9.3 percent of the population, according to the American Diabetes Association. Of those diabetics, only about 1.25 million have Type 1. The others are Type 2 diabetics. Another 8.1 million have Type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Officials say that an additional 86 million people in the United States are pre-diabetic. It was 3:38 a.m. just before Christmas 2014. I knew my soon-to-be wife, Leslie, was in trouble. The sheets were sweat-soaked; her forehead was clammy. She was motionless. I jumped from the bed, grabbed her glucose tester, pricked her finger and tested her blood. Her sugar level was 42, well below her ideal average of 100. She was almost in a diabetic coma. I darted to the kitchen, poured an eight-ounce glass of orange juice and rushed to her bedside. I began shaking her slowly in hopes of awakening her from unconsciousness. Dazed and confused, she looked intently into the nearby walk-in closet. I always turn on the closet light during these episodes. It was the only brightness in the room at that time of the morning. She thought the closet light was her work computer screen. Leslie has worked for the Veterans Administration for 27 years, the Continue reading >>
Living A Healthy Life With Type 1 Diabetes
Living a Healthy Life with Type 1 Diabetes With proper care, a type 1 diabetic can live a long and healthy life, with almost no risk of heart attack, stroke, or complications. Type 1 diabetics need not feel doomed to a life of medical disasters and a possible early death. With a truly health-supporting Nutritarian lifestyle, the type 1 diabetic can have a disease-free life and a better than average life expectancy. With conventional care of type 1 diabetes, the long-term prognosis is dismal. Type 1 diabetes usually begins to do its damage during childhood, and carries the same risks of type 2 with complications such as damage to the kidney, eyes, and nervous system. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes accelerate the aging of our bodies. Having type 1 or 2 diabetes greatly speeds up the development of atherosclerosis, or cardiovascular disease; in fact, diabetes doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke. About 10 percent of diabetes cases are type 1. In type 1 diabetes, which generally occurs earlier in life, the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin, resulting in insulin deficiency. For that reason, in almost all cases, type 1 diabetics will always require insulin to prevent too much glucose in the blood and life-threatening ketoacidosis (a serious condition that can lead to a coma and even death). Unlike type 2, type 1 diabetes is not caused by excess body fat. However, excess body fat is still dangerous for a type 1 diabetic, since type 1 diabetes also carries the risks associated with type 2 diabetes : heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other complications. Consequently, a nutritionally superior diet is essential to the health and longevity of type 1 diabetics. A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is not a guarantee of poor healt Continue reading >>
Living Longer With Diabetes: Type 1
When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, you may wonder, “Is this going to kill me? How long can I live with this?” These are scary questions. Fortunately, the answers have gotten better. This article is about living longer with Type 1. Next week will be about Type 2. History of life with Type 1 In Type 1, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed. Before insulin was discovered and made injectable, Type 1 diabetes usually killed children within months, or even days. The only treatment known to medicine was going on a low-carb, high-fat and -protein diet. People might live a few years that way. According to the website Defeat Diabetes, “In 1897, the average life expectancy for a 10-year-old child with diabetes was about one year. Diagnosis at age 30 carried a life expectancy of about four years. A newly diagnosed 50-year-old might live eight more years.” (Probably, those 50-year-olds really had Type 2.) In the 1920s, insulin was discovered and became available for use. Life expectancy with Type 1 went up dramatically. But when I started nursing in the 1970s, it was still common for people with Type 1 to die before age 50. With better insulins, home testing, and lower-carbohydrate diets, people live longer. A study from the University of Pittsburgh, published in 2012, found that people with Type 1 diabetes born after 1965 had a life expectancy of 69 years. This compares to a life expectancy at birth of roughly 76 years for men and 81 years for women in the general population in the U.S. A new study of about 25,000 people with Type 1 in Scotland found that men with Type 1 diabetes lose about 11 years of life expectancy, and women about 13 years compared to those without the disease. According to WebMD, “Heart disease accounted for the most lost Continue reading >>
This Is What It's Like To Live With Type 1 Diabetes
You probably know someone with type 1 diabetes (there are 1.25 million American children and adults living with the autoimmune disease), but do you really know what they're going through each day? Here's a brief glimpse: They're constantly checking their glucose numbers, watching what they eat, and worrying about how stress and other factors will influence their blood sugar. To learn more about what it's like to manage the condition day in and day out, read on. (Take back control of your eating—and lose weight in the process—with our 21-Day Challenge!) You worry about every little thing you eat. getty-103332848-worry-about-food-chris-ryan.jpg Always. "You cannot be a diabetic without thinking about food and how it will affect you," says Taylor, 25, from Salem, OR. "Each item of food that I put into my mouth has so much more to it than the taste. When you eat, you have questions running through your mind such as, 'How many carbs does this have?', 'Did I take enough insulin for this?', 'What if I am full but took too much insulin, do I still have to finish it?' Those are just some of the questions, and that is for every single item I eat." It used to be that people with type 1 diabetes had to check their blood glucose values at least three or four times a day. However, according to Gregory Dodell, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist at Central Park Endocrinology New York, keeping up can be lower maintenance, thanks to new technology called a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)—which is a sensor that checks glucose values consistently throughout the day and is viewed via a separate device, including an iPhone app. You constantly have to explain to people the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. shutterstock_186887918-differences-designua.jpg "It is hard havi Continue reading >>
What It’s Like To Live With Type 1 Diabetes
What It’s Like To Live With Type 1 Diabetes By: Valeria Guerrero What’s it like? It’s pricking your finger endlessly throughout the day. It’s not being afraid of blood because you get used to seeing so much of it. It’s no longer feeling tremor to a needle because you’ve had no choice than to be poked by them every day. It’s being woken up countless times throughout the night to fix blood sugars that just won’t become stable. It’s waking up feeling hung over because your sugars were high all night no matter the amount of corrections you gave yourself. It’s not being able to eat whatever you want before carb counting and analyzing how it will affect your sugars later. It’s having to put on a fake smile every time you have to explain to someone that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are NOT the same thing. It’s not being able to go a single work out without stressing if you’re going to go too low, drop too fast or go high. It’s seeing all the scars all over our tummy, arms and legs from all the site changes and pokes and just cry. It’s people staring at you while you poke yourself and watching you like something is wrong with you. It’s people telling you “you can’ t have that” or “should you be eating that?” It’s people assuming you have type 2 when you say you have diabetes. It’s watching people look at you like you’re breaking the law by having a candy. It’s asking yourself what you did wrong because you got this disease even when they say it isn’t your fault. It’s remembering what it was like before being diagnosed and feeling nostalgic. It’s struggling with money and possibly going into debt because supplies are just so expensive. It’s wanting to cry whenever you hear a representative say “your insurance doesn’t co Continue reading >>
