Learning to cope with Type 1 diabetes can be very demanding and frustrating, especially for the child who must learn to live with a disease that is beyond their control. Besides experiencing any one of the known symptoms such as heavy breathing, extreme thirst and vision changes, the most burdensome is living by the "poke" - being insulin-dependent forever.
Type 1 diabetes strikes suddenly and lasts forever. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease - the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. People with the disease live with the constant threat of serious complications, such as kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, amputation, heart attacks or stroke.
People with Type 1 diabetes are dependent on insulin for life. They must take multiple insulin injections daily or continually infuse insulin through a pump.
There is no cure. While insulin allows a person to stay alive, it does not cure diabetes nor prevent the eventual onset of complications. Life expectancy for people with diabetes is shortened by an average of 15 years.
Children face the biggest risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes most often occurs in childhood and adolescence, however it does strike adults as well. The occurrence of Type 1 diabetes is rising by three to five per cent annually; the greatest rise occurs in children aged five to nine.
Type 1 diabetes in Canada
- Type 1 diabetes is very prevalent in Canada. Over 200,000 Canadians have Type 1 diabetes. Canada has the third highest occurrence rate of Type 1 diabetes in children aged 14 years or younger globally.
- The economic burden of the disease. The Canadian government estimates that diabetes and its complications cost the economy more than $13.2 billion annually in healthcare, absenteeism and lost productivity.
For more information on Type 1 diabetes, please visit www.jdrf.ca.
JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION - FAST FACTS
More than 2 million Canadians have diabetes.
Over 200,000 Canadians have Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1). Most of them are children
Canada has the third highest occurrence rate of Type 1 diabetes in children 14 years or younger in the world.
Type 1 diabetes occurrence rate is rising by 3-5% per year; the greatest rise is in 5-9 year olds.
Diabetes is the leading cause of death in North America.
Diabetes is growing at an alarming rate. It is projected to be at epidemic proportions in the very near future.
It is the one single disease that has the potential to collapse our health care system.
Children with Type 1 diabetes must manage their disease 24 hours a day - every day. Just to stay alive they take multiple insulin injections or infuse insulin through a pump, continually monitor their diet and activity while pricking their fingers 8 times a day or more to check blood sugar levels. These readings drive their day minute by minute. Can you imagine?
Children and their families live with the constant threat of devastating consequences - blindness, organ failure, nerve damage, heart attack, stroke, amputation and even death.
Children with Type 1 diabetes wish for one thing- to be like everyone else.
Canada is the global leader in juvenile diabetes research. From the discovery of insulin in 1921 to promising breakthrough therapies, now being developed and tested, researchers and scientists in Canada are on the forefront. A cure for Juvenile Diabetes is close.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) was established to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through research. The Foundation has shown an unrelenting commitment since its inception. Ethical, responsible and accountable JDRF annually receives top rankings as a not for profit organization.
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