Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus also known as IDDM, or Type l diabetes is a disorder in which the body can not utilize glucose due to the absence of the hormone insulin. Insulin is needed to transport glucose into the resting muscle cells to be used for energy because resting muscle cells are not permeable to glucose without the assistance of insulin; while exercise can promote the cells ability to use the glucose in the blood stream, the person with IDDM must be careful of the balance between the glucose in the blood, that released by the liver and that which is used. If this balance is compromised, it can lead to hypoglycemic episode. For a person who is not diabetic, after carbohydrates are eaten insulin is released in to the blood stream, this hormone metabolizes the carbohydrates so it can be used as energy. When the body can not use the carbohydrates as energy, it begins breaking down fat for energy use. A person may feel hungry or thirsty, but still loses weight even with an increase in food intake. Type l diabetes is usually diagnosed in children or adolescents, but it can occur at any time during a persons life. People diagnosed with IDDM will have to closely monitor and control their blood sugar with daily injections of insulin for the rest of their lives. Risks for developing type l diabetes include high birth weight, mothers age at time of birth, over 35 increases risk for child to develop type l diabetes, obesity as a child, short term breast feeding or primary bottle feeding as an infant. Some other risks include ethnicity such as Hispanic, African American, Northern European and Mediterranean. Because type l diabetes is an autoimmune disease, if you have any other autoimmune diseases, you could be at greater risk for developing type l diabetes. Statistics
According to the American Diabetic Association, about 1 in 400 children and adolescents has type l diabetes.
1.9 million people over the age of 20 were diagnosed with type l diabetes in 2010
There are 18.8 million people in the United States diagnosed with Type l diabetes.
In 2007, 71,382 deaths were directly related to diabetes.
