A few months back we talked about Type II diabetes – the more common form of the disease, affecting 90 percent of all those with diabetes.

Now, I would like to focus on Type I, insulin-dependent diabetes. Approximately 10 percent of all those with diabetes have Type I, and its onset usually occurs in people under age 30.

You may have heard it referred to as “juvenile diabetes,” a term we try not to use because in some cases, the onset of Type I diabetes can occur in older individuals.

Type I diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Because not enough insulin is produced, those with Type I diabetes are insulin-dependent for life.

Type I diabetes is thought to be an auto-immune disease with genetic and environmental triggers.

If diabetes is suspected, the physician will order a fasting blood glucose test to determine glucose levels. If the blood glucose level is greater than 126, it is an indication of diabetes. Further investigation of factors such as age, family history and onset of symptoms help determine the type of diabetes.

With Type I, the rise in the blood glucose level is usually sudden and acute. One of the most noticeable symptoms is rapid weight loss. The weight drops when the body starts using its own fat for energy because it can’t use glucose, which the body would normally use.

Other symptoms include fatigue, frequent urination, extreme thirst, visual changes, itchy skin and numbness or tingling in extremities. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, it is important that you seek medical attention.

Both types of diabetes must be controlled and managed to help prevent or lessen the impact of long-term complications.

Because Type I diabetes generally occurs at a younger age, and the individual has the disease for a longer period, there is a greater risk of long-term complications affecting vision, kidneys, nerves and the cardiovascular system.

These complications can become serious, so it is very important to keep the disease under control by closely monitoring blood glucose levels, eating a healthy diet, keeping cholesterol levels down, exercising, avoiding smoking, monitoring blood pressure levels, managing stress, and learning self-management skills through diabetes education classes.

To properly manage their health, individuals with diabetes would benefit from a comprehensive program such as those offered through hospital and health care organizations in several locations.

The one we have here at St. Joseph Healthcare is the Ambulatory Diabetes Education and Followup program.

Through such a program, individuals are taught self-care skills to help manage their health by first learning what happens to the body with diabetes, and why it’s important to manage the disease.

Other aspects of the program include stress management; psychological adjustment; behavioral change strategies; family involvement and social support; goal setting; nutrition; exercise, medication management; prevention, detection and treatment of acute and chronic complications; as well as dental, skin and foot care.

St. Joseph Healthcare also offers a free diabetes support group for those with diabetes, as well as their family members. The group, facilitated by a staff member of the program, meets 1-2 p.m. the first Thursday of each month in the Willette Conference Room, Building 2, at 900 Broadway.

For information about this support group or about St. Joseph Healthcare’s ADEF program, call 262-1836.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is very important to manage your health by learning as much as you can about self-care. With proper management, you can live a full, active life.

Diane Galutia is a public affairs associate for St. Joseph Healthcare.