Type 1 Diabetes Life Expectancy

According to the International Diabetes Federation, approximately 285 million people in the world are suffering from diabetes. Further estimates suggest that by the end of the year 2030, there will be 435 million diabetics in the world. Although a large chunk of the affected population is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is not uncommon. In fact, studies reveal that 1 in every 500 children or adolescents suffer from type 1 diabetes. Before we move on to type 1 diabetes life expectancy, let's go through a brief overview of this disorder.

Type 1 Diabetes Overview

Type 1 diabetes, also referred to as juvenile diabetes, is a form of diabetes characterized by destruction of beta cells of the pancreas, which are primarily designed to produce insulin in the body, by the immune system itself. Destruction of these beta cells, in turn, leads to deficiency of insulin which is required by the body to convert glucose into energy. Major type 1 diabetes symptoms include polyuria, dehydration, weight loss, blurring of vision, excessive fatigue, extreme hunger and thirst. Although there is no way to reverse the damage done to the pancreatic cells, one can easily manage this condition with the help of healthy lifestyle changes, including controlling the amount of carbohydrates ingested and by monitoring blood glucose levels, and of course, with the help of insulin replacement therapy.

Life Expectancy for Type 1 Diabetes

Although, type 1 diabetes can happen to any individual, it is much more common in children, adolescents and teenagers (and hence is referred as juvenile diabetes). Type 1 diabetes life expectancy is indeed very difficult to ascertain due to the incomprehensible nature of the ailment regarding its exact cause and due to the lack of data. Many factors come into play when you try to calculate the average type 1 diabetes life expectancy. Researchers believe that the life expectancy of this diabetes type, to a great extent, depends on the age at which the ailment is diagnosed.

To be worried about the life expectancy of people suffering from type 1 diabetes is really not necessary. If adequate measures are taken, like controlling the diet and ensuring that the correct dose of insulin is taken on a timely basis, then all concerns rested, a person having diabetes mellitus type 1 can live as long and healthy a life as anyone else. This is merely a condition where there is a deficiency of a single hormone in the body. Yes, there may be a few problems with this condition, however this has not deterred people from doing and achieving anything they wish for. If you want proof of this, then you'll find it in the tennis great Billie Jean King, who despite being a type 1 diabetes patient, went on to reach twelve Grand Slam singles titles.

Thus, in short the whole term 'type 1 diabetes life expectancy' is more of a negative implication rather than an evaluation about the longevity of a person with this disease. In fact, the very word 'life expectancy' is a misnomer, as when one calculates the so-called 'life expectancy', they calculate an aggregate of the years lived by many different people suffering from that disease; so if the life expectancy of a certain disease is say fifty years, it is possible that this figure was reached after taking the mean of a person who lived for twenty-five years and one lived for seventy-five years into consideration. Hence, as you can see, it doesn't mean that a person suffering from this disease will die at fifty years because there was already a person who lived for seventy-five years with it!

Other than the intake of insulin, healthy living is an important factor which has played a vital role in improving the life expectancy of people suffering from type 1 diabetes. Researchers are working in order to find out the possibility of completely curing or preventing this form of diabetes from occurring. Until these researches yield results, we need to manage the ailment in as healthy way, as possible. There are so many people like Larry King, Halle Berry and Mae West that have and are not only living a long and healthy life, but have or are living life to the fullest, despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.