Type 1 Diabetes: A Growing Problem

           My inspiration for my topic, Type 1 diabetes, comes from my niece. When I heard that I was going to become the proud aunt of fraternal twins, I was ecstatic. The first time I saw them, I instantly fell in love. Their names were Benjamin and Kaydence. During their first year of life, they both grew, but Ben grew at a much faster pace. Kaydence was still very small, but she seemed happy and healthy. Nine months after her birth, Kaydence was having trouble breathing. Once Kaydence was admitted into the hospital, the doctors diagnosed her with Type 1 diabetes. Her blood sugar had risen to a life threatening level. Thankfully, she recovered with no permanent damage. I chose this topic because Kaydence is very dear to my heart. Ever since I was told about the condition, I have been wondering about why this had happened and what can be done now. Unfortunately, Type 1 diabetes is not in the public eye, and, typically, it only gets attention within a family that becomes suddenly affected. Much more is discussed about Type 2 diabetes. I want to educate others on the steps we can take to combat the disease and for others to know how to reduce the future incidence of diabetes.

            My primary goal in picking my topic was to gain more knowledge about this condition. My main research question was “Why is Type 1 diabetes so prevalent in America’s society today?” As I conducted my research, I found that even doctors and nurses are puzzled by this question. Even though they have not found the answer to my question, they are conducting experiments and tests to discover it. I found many case studies on my topic. One article I found on “Increased Maternal Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) associated with older age at diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in offspring” proved that “maternal insulin resistance is associated with later onset of Type 1 diabetes (T. Cheetham, et al. 1450).” I inferred that the doctor’s lack of knowledge and information on this topic drove them to conduct these case studies.

 I was able to answer my second research question, which was “Which age group does Type 1 diabetes affect the most and why does it affect these groups more than the others?” I surveyed 25 teenage students and two Early College High School teachers to test their knowledge on the subject of Type 1 diabetes. In my survey, only 29.6% of my respondents answered this question correctly (Dumas). Through an explanatory Type 1 diabetes video presented by Doctor David Hill, I found that people are typically diagnosed with this disease around the ages of childhood and early teenage years (Hill). A diagnosis of this disease is not limited to those age ranges because they are an average. There are outliers like my niece, Kaydence.

Should the government provide more funding for diabetes research versus other common diseases? This is more of an opinion based question I posed earlier in this year to the same group of survey takers. Around 88.9% percent of my respondents agreed that there should be more government funding for further research of this disease (Dumas). Also, from the figure 1 graph below, “Estimation of primary care treatment costs and treatment efficacy for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007" from Diabetes Magazine proves that, over the years, the average number of patients has increased (941). In just ten years, the number has more than doubled. Because of the apparent rise of people being affected, the government should provide more funding for diabetes research.

Figure 1:

Since there is still much unknown information about Type 1 diabetes, I could not fully answer “How could the government develop a more cost efficient way to treat Type 1 diabetes?” Two of my academic articles, however, were case studies on how different types of insulin administered to different people affect them. Finding the answer to many of the “unknowns” will, over time, lead to a way to lower costs for diabetes sufferers. From my research, I found informational videos from Doctor Steven Edelmen and testimonies from Type 1 diabetes sufferers (sciencestage.com). I found out what doctors think causes Type 1 diabetes (inherited traits and faulty immune systems) and how to recognize if your child has this disease by looking for certain symptoms. I also found which type of exercise is most beneficial for Type 1 diabetes. Through more government funded research, we can learn more about this disease and how to preclude it.
        I chose this topic to ultimately find out more about Type 1 diabetes and how I could shine more light on this important topic. Collectively, through all my academic sources and research, I have found a small collection of valuable information; but, with the information I did find, it has helped to better the contents of my blog. My research can help diabetes sufferers and the parents of a child who suffers from this disease. My exploration of Type 1 diabetes highlights the need for more research on this disease to prevent more individuals becoming victim to Type 1 diabetes.