What is Type 1 Diabetes?
If you have type 1 diabetes, your blood sugar is too high because your body can’t make a hormone called insulin.
Fewer than one in 10 people in the UK who have diabetes have type 1 diabetes. There is nothing you can do to prevent yourself or others developing type 1 diabetes. The exact causes are not known. Although it’s often diagnosed in childhood, people can develop type 1 diabetes at any age. You are at a slightly higher risk of type 1 diabetes if your mother, father, brother or sister has it.
Insulin is the main treatment for type 1 diabetes. You can’t live without insulin injections or using an insulin pump. Checking and managing your blood sugar levels is important to help you reduce your risk of serious short or long-term health problems.
Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms
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Toilet – going for a wee more often, especially at night. 
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Thirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.
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Tired – being incredibly tired and having no energy.
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Thinner – losing weight without trying to, or looking thinner than usual.
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The 4Ts are the most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes but there are other signs to look out for too. They could include genital itching or thrush, cuts and wounds that take longer to heal, and blurry eyesight. These can all be signs of type 2 diabetes too.
What causes Type 1 Diabetes?
It’s normal to wonder if something you’ve done could have caused your type 1 diabetes – or a child’s type 1 diabetes. But there’s nothing you could have done to prevent it.
We don’t know the exact cause of type 1 diabetes. Family history can increase your risk, as there are a number of genes linked to type 1 diabetes. But we know genes on their own don't cause diabetes, because most people with type 1 don't have a family history of it at all. Scientists think some things in the environment, like viruses, play a role in triggering type 1 diabetes and are doing research all the time to find out more. 
In type 1 diabetes, your body has destroyed the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas – called beta cells - so you can't produce any insulin. This can happen over years. You may hear it called an autoimmune condition. That’s because the immune system that usually protects you against illness has done the opposite.
What causes type 1 diabetes in adults?
The causes of type 1 diabetes are the same at any age. Your immune system has attacked the insulin-producing cells that are found in your pancreas.
As you can’t make enough insulin, you need to inject insulin or it’s released into your body using a small insulin pump you attach to your body
Although type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in childhood you can be diagnosed at any age.
What causes types 1 diabetes in children?
Like type 1 diabetes in adults, we don’t know the exact cause of type 1 diabetes in children. As with adults, the insulin-producing cells that are found in the pancreas stop working.
Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes diagnosed in childhood. You can develop type 1 diabetes from the age of six months and over. If diabetes is diagnosed in a baby under six months, it’s not type 1 diabetes, it’s called neonatal diabetes.
Is type 1 diabetes caused by diet?
Type 1 diabetes is not thought to be caused by what you eat or drink. And there’s nothing you can do to prevent the condition developing. But if you have type 1 diabetes, it’s still important eat a healthy diet to help you manage your blood sugar levels
Who is at risk of type 1 diabetes?
If someone in your family has type 1 diabetes, there’s a slightly higher chance of you or your child developing the condition. But many people with type 1 diabetes don’t have any family with the condition. There is a type 1 diabetes test that’s been developed that helps doctors know who is at high risk of type 1 diabetes.
Is type 1 diabetes to do with genes or lifestyle?
Type 1 diabetes is thought to develop due to a combination of genetics and other factors which are not yet fully understood. But we don’t know more than that. There is nothing to indicate that lifestyle plays a part.
Type 1 Diabetes Treatments
The main treatments and ways to manage type 1 diabetes are:
Insulin
Insulin is the main treatment for type 1 diabetes. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make any insulin like it normally would. And you can’t live without insulin as it helps you manage your blood sugar levels and prevent serious short or long-term health problems known as diabetes complications. So you’ll need daily insulin injections or use an insulin pump which is a small device that you attach to your body which releases insulin.
Carb counting
Learning how to carb count helps you manage your blood sugar levels. It means you can match how much insulin you need for the carbohydrate you eat and drink. The sums can be made quicker and easier if you use certain apps or an insulin pump or closed loop system as many of the calculations are done for you. Your diabetes team should be able to suggest free apps.
Using a continuous glucose monitor or flash glucose monitor
If you have type 1 diabetes you need to check your blood sugar levels regularly usually with a finger prick test. Being able to monitor your sugar levels without doing so many finger prick checks is made possible by using a CGM or flash glucose monitor. It also means you can spot and treat low and high blood sugar levels (hypos and hypers) more quickly.
Going for regular check-ups
You should expect regular appointments after you have been diagnosed. If you have any concerns about your diabetes, contact your diabetes team.
Diabetes check up - Every year (more often when newly diagnosed)
This is a meeting with your care team to see how you're getting on and check:
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your blood glucose levels for the past 8 to 12 weeks (HbA1c test)
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for fat in your blood (cholesterol)
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your kidneys are working OK (kidney function)
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for protein in your pee (urinary albumin)
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your weight
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your blood pressure
This includes blood and urine tests.
Eye Screening - once a year
You'll be invited for eye screening. A photo is taken of the back of your eye. This checks for any changes in your eyes caused by diabetes.
It's different from a sight test and does not check if you need glasses.
This should be arranged by your care team. Ask if you have not had an appointment.
Foot check up - once a year
A nurse or a foot specialist checks your feet for numbness, corns, ulcers and infections.
Speak to your team if your feet have not been checked.
