Type 1 Diabetes Research Paper

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Diabetes is a silent disease that affects millions of people in the United States. While most people have heard the word "diabetes" few actually know what the disease is. They think it has to do with a person being obese or their intake of sugar. While that could possibly be a factor for a type of diabetes, people tend to forget there's more than one type of this disease. Type one diabetes is the most complex and least preventable type of diabetes. To be able to comprehend type one diabetes, one should know what type one diabetes is, what are its causes, and what its symptoms are.

Type one diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. This means the body produces little or no amount of insulin. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose (sugar) to enter cells and then be used as energy by the body. It also helps keep the blood sugar level from getting too high or too low.The pancreas stops producing insulin when the immune system attacks and destroys the cells inside the pancreas responsible for making the hormone. When the body does not have insulin, then the glucose remains in the bloodstream and …show more content…

One them is the outcome of a viral or bacterial infection that targets the cells within the pancreas. Which leads to the destruction of the cells responsible for insulin. Another is the result of mutations in the HLA genes. On the sixth chromosome of the human body, there's a region responsible for the genes used by the body to create the cellular identification tags (glycoproteins) that the cells use to identify themselves to the immune systems. The proteins are encoded by the HLA genes and mutations to them can lead to an autoimmune response inside the body. An autoimmune response occurs when the immune system attacks the body's healthy cells. While there is not a set cause for type one diabetes, knowing some of the explanations for the disease is extremely

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