Type 1 diabetes: Diabetes mellitus characterized by insulin deficiency, sudden onset, severe hyperglycemia, rapid progression to ketoacidosis, and death unless treated with insulin. The disease may occur at any age, but is most common in childhood or adolescence.
Source - Diseases Database

Type 1 diabetes: severe diabetes mellitus with an early onset; characterized by polyuria and excessive thirst and increased appetite and weight loss and episodic ketoacidosis; diet and insulin injections are required to control the disease.
Source - WordNet 2.1

How many people get Type 1 diabetes?

Prevalance of Type 1 diabetes: 1-in-800 (NIAID)
Prevalance Rate of Type 1 diabetes: approx 1 in 800 or 0.12% or 340,000 people in USA [about data]
Incidence (annual) of Type 1 diabetes: about 30,000 annual cases in the USA; about 40 per 10,0000 children
Incidence Rate of Type 1 diabetes: approx 1 in 9,066 or 0.01% or 30,000 people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Type 1 diabetes:
1 out of 800 people in the United States. (Source: excerpt from Understanding Autoimmune Disease: NIAID)

Who gets Type 1 diabetes?

Patient Profile for Type 1 diabetes: Typically teenagers, but can range from infants to 30's (or perhaps later in life).

Profile for Type 1 diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes develops most often in children and young adults, but
the disorder can appear at any age.
(Source: excerpt from Diabetes Overview: NIDDK)
...
Type 1 diabetes occurs equally among males and females, but is more
common in whites than in nonwhites. Data from the World Health
Organization's Multinational Project for Childhood Diabetes indicate that
type 1 diabetes is rare in most African, American Indian, and Asian
populations. However, some northern European countries, including Finland
and Sweden, have high rates of type 1 diabetes. The reasons for these
differences are not known.
(Source: excerpt from Diabetes Overview: NIDDK)
...
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is
usually diagnosed before the age of 30 and may be diagnosed as early as the
first month of life. (Source: excerpt from Understanding Autoimmune Disease: NIAID)

How serious is Type 1 diabetes?

Prognosis of Type 1 diabetes: Good in the short-term, possibility of severe complications later in life.
Complications of Type 1 diabetes:
see complications of Type 1 diabetesPrognosis of Type 1 diabetes: Diabetes is relatively easy to control with proper
medical attention, and acute complications are increasingly rare.
However, long-term complications such as disorders of the eye,
kidney, circulatory system, and nerve fibers are common. If left
untreated, diabetes can result in death. (Source: excerpt from Endocrine Diseases: NWHIC)

What causes Type 1 diabetes?

Causes of Type 1 diabetes: see causes of Type 1 diabetesCause of Type 1 diabetes: Autoimmune attack against the pancreas's insulin-producing cells.
Causes of Type 1 diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease results
when the body's system for fighting infection (the immune system) turns
against a part of the body. In diabetes, the immune system attacks the
insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The
pancreas then produces little or no insulin. Someone with type 1 diabetes
needs to take insulin daily to live.
(Source: excerpt from Diabetes Overview: NIDDK)
Risk factors for Type 1 diabetes:
see
risk factors for Type 1 diabetes

Society issues for Type 1 diabetes

Costs of Type 1 diabetes: DCCT researchers estimate that intensive
management doubles the cost of managing diabetes because of increased
visits to a health care professional and the need for more frequent blood
testing at home. However, this cost is offset by the reduction in medical
expenses related to long-term complications and by the improved quality of
life of people with diabetes. (Source: excerpt from Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT): NIDDK)

Cost statistics for Type 1 diabetes:
The following are statistics from various sources about costs and Type 1 diabetes:

Estimated lifetime cost for Type 1 diabetes is about $190,000 in Australia 1993-94 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003)

Estimated lifetime cost for Type 2 diabetes is about $25,000 in Australia 1993-94 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003)

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use. Information provided on this site is for informational purposes only; it is not intended as a substitute for advice from your own medical team. The information on this site is not to be used for diagnosing or treating any health concerns you may have - please contact your physician or health care professional for all your medical needs. Please see our Terms of Use.