Living With Type 1 Diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood suger many times daily, either with a blood glucose meter or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), they must take multiple daily insulin injections, with an insulin pen or insulin pump, and they must adjust their diet and activity accordingly. It requires attention around the clock in a constant and difficult balancing of many variables.

If the blood glucose becomes too low, patients risk dangerous hypoglycemia, insulin shock and coma, and if too high, dangerous hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). In addition, during the lifetime, patients must live with the risk of developing debilitating complications.

Even with the best treatments currently available, it is an impossible challenge to balance all variables perfect, it is simply too complex, and no other disease requires as much of the patient on a daily basis.

Therefore national treatment goals are not reached, resulting in hospitalization, complications and over mortality.