The global burden of type 1 diabetes is unevenly distributed
People with this autoimmune disease have a much shorter life expectancy in low-income countries.
This video is part of “Innovations in: Type 1 Diabetes“, an editorially independent special report produced with financial support from Vertex.
Karin Leong: Type 1 diabetes is on the rise worldwide, and no one knows why.
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Thus, type 1 diabetes, unlike type 2, is an autoimmune disease. This happens when your immune system attacks the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. Lack of insulin means your blood sugar levels spike, and if left untreated this can be fatal.
Scientists aren't entirely sure why the number of cases is rising. This is partly because we are getting better at detecting type 1 diabetes early. But that's not the whole story. Researchers have several hypotheses, such as the diet of the mother and young child, exposure to microbes in the environment, viral infections in early life, or even gut bacteria, which could be potential factors causing this autoimmune disease.
Treatment for type 1 diabetes has come a long way, but advances are not shared equally. In rich countries, a 10-year-old child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes has access to treatment. This could be insulin therapy, glucose monitors, or even artificial pancreas technology. And they can live to be 70 years old, which is not far from the life expectancy of the general population. In poorer countries, the same 10-year-old child may only live another 10 years.
Experts say millions of lives could be saved if early diagnosis and treatment were made available worldwide. Type 1 diabetes is not a death sentence, but where you live can make it so.
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