Researchers look for Type 1 longevity secrets

Many people who have lived with Type 1 diabetes for 50 years never expected to see their senior years. The tides are changing, however, and it is becoming increasingly common among people with Type 1 diabetes to live much longer than expected.

A Canadian study is underway to find out the secrets to long life with Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. “We are now seeing that people with Type 1 diabetes can live for a lot longer than we had initially thought,” says Dr. Bruce Perkins, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto who is heading the national study.

The Diabetes Management & Supplies Learning Center explains that while the cause of Type 1 diabetes is unknown, it is believed to be an autoimmune disorder. These conditions occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. With Type 1 diabetes, an infection or some other trigger causes the body to destroy the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Diabetes Management & Supplies offers accredited diabetes education services that can make managing all forms of diabetes easier tasks. For more information on care management needs or to enroll in group or individual sessions, call our Education Department at 1-888-738-7929 or email an educator at education@diabetesms.com.

For more

• Visit the DMS Learning Center: More on Type 1 Diabetes
• Complete study article at Calgary Herald: Type 1 diabetics living with disease 50-plus years, study seeks to know why