When Duncan Shea was 8 years old, a live-in nanny began to notice some changes in his daily routine ““ he was often lethargic and frequently thirsty.
“I don’t remember feeling any different at the time, but looking back on it now, I really see how I was showing some symptoms,” the third-year political science student said.
Shea’s parents arranged for him to see an endocrinologist who, after performing several tests, suggested he be admitted to a hospital.
Shea was hospitalized for nearly a week. Since then, he has been living his life as a type 1 diabetic.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to produce or properly use insulin, the hormone that converts food, including starches and sugars, into energy needed for daily life.
The most common types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed at a younger age, is characterized by the inability of certain cells in the pancreas to produce insulin because the body’s immune system has destroyed them.
People living with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin, usually in the form of a shot, in order for their body to use the glucose they get from their food.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, can be diagnosed at any age.
This form of diabetes is initially characterized by insulin resistance, a condition in which many cells throughout the body do not properly accept and use insulin.
Type 2 diabetics can be prescribed diabetic pills or they can take insulin shots in order to help their bodies use insulin to process food into energy.
Shea, whose mother helped him portion his food and control his dosage of insulin when he was younger, said he has become accustomed to counting the number of carbohydrates in his meals and injecting himself with the correct amount of insulin.
“It’s become a lifestyle for me,” he said. “It’s something that you need to think about all the time. I do the same things that other college students do, except that I carry around a test kit with me to check my blood sugar throughout the day.”
Type 2 diabetes has been on the rise recently.
This is primarily because it is related to inactivity, poor diet and obesity, which have also been increasing, said Archana Sadhu, endocrinologist and assistant clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
“Type 2 diabetes is on the rise because it is the form most related to diet and exercise,” she said.
Though there is a genetic link in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, many researchers and physicians say people can and should take measures to decrease their chances of developing any form of diabetes.
“Individuals who have a (mother or father) with diabetes have a much higher risk,” Sadhu said.
For this reason, these individuals should be especially aware of eating healthy, maintaining a normal body weight, and exercising regularly, Sadhu said.
“However, we should all practice this lifestyle to reduce our risk of developing diabetes,” she added.
About 1.5 million people over the age of 20 were diagnosed with some form of diabetes in 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Much research is being done on treatments for type 1 diabetes, including looking for immunologic treatments and using stem cells, said Michael Bryer-Ash, endocrinologist and clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
“Immunologic treatments are based on interrupting the sequence of events that leads to the destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas,” Bryer-Ash said.
“The stem cell research being done is focused on creating new beta cells from other types of cells.”
There have also been significant advances in ways of managing diabetes.
Some developments include insulin monitoring technology, insulin delivery technology (commonly known as insulin pumps), and synthetic insulins whose actions more closely match naturally produced insulin.
Insulin pumps are becoming increasingly popular among diabetics.
Shea, who said he has been able to manage his diabetes relatively well since diagnosed, is looking for ever easier and more precise ways to help manage the disorder.
“I’ve been really looking into an insulin pump,” he said. “At times, it gets frustrating having to constantly carry and inject yourself with insulin, and this can provide me with an easier and more accurate way to control my diabetes.”
An advantage of insulin pumps is that they function more like a real pancreas than insulin injections alone, as they continually deliver micro droplets of insulin to a diabetic, said Justin Jue, a sales representative for Medtronic, the parent company of MiniMed, a medical technology company specializing in the research and production of insulin pumps for diabetics.
“Diabetics who are on insulin injections usually live very structured lives, and insulin pumps allow for freedom and better control of their diabetes,” Jue said.
There are promising new developments that individuals living with diabetes can look forward to.
“There is a lot of exciting research being done and we’ve had many breakthroughs in the last decade alone,” Sadhu said.
“Patients can look forward to new drug development and, hopefully, a cure one day.”
As for Shea, he waits as more progress is made in the research of diabetes.
“I’d obviously love to see a cure in my lifetime,” he said. “There’s been lots of success in treatment, and that makes me very hopeful for the future.”