Each month, we share some of the most interesting research on Type 1 diabetes that we find:
Hiding Hypoglycemia
Danish researchers report that efforts to restrict driving rights for people with diabetes may be causing people to hide how often they have bouts of severe hypoglycemia. In 2012, researchers combed through medical records of people with diabetes after Denmark adopted new driver’s licence health restrictions for people with diabetes. After the move was announced, the number of self-reported incidents of severe hypoglycemia went down 55% when compared to previous years. The findings were published in the October 6th issue of Diabetes Care.
Millennial Know-it-Alls
A new study finds that more younger Americans believe they have a good understanding of diabetes than older Americans. The Sanofi-funded study found that 72 percent of Millennials (aged 18 to 34) said they were well-versed in the condition and how to treat it, while only 64 percent of those 35 and older said the same. However, older Americans seemed more stoic than their younger counterparts about dealing with diabetes. Only 28 percent of older Americans reported being scared of finger-pricks for blood-sugar-testing, while a whopping 43 percent of Millennials reported being scared at the thought of daily finger-pricks.
The Enterovirus and Type 1 Diabetes
Taiwanese scientists may have found a link between exposure to enteroviruses and the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Pouring over Taiwan’s national health data, the researchers found that the likelihood of developing Type 1 diabetes jumped 50% when a child had been infected with an enterovirus in the past. According to an article in Science World Report, the researchers first became interested in a link when they detected increased rates of Type 1 diabetes in Taiwan in recent decades, and they wondered if there was a link between this and increased exposure to enteroviruses. Scientists have long conjectured that certain viruses can trigger hyperactive, damaging immune responses in people genetically predisposed to Type 1 diabetes.
Newsflash: Diabetes Causes Mental Stress
Researchers at National University in San Diego have found that people with chronic conditions like diabetes are more likely to experience psychiatric distress than those who don’t have chronic health conditions. Using a large-scale 2009 health survey, the researchers found that having just one chronic condition makes it 1.5 times more likely that a person will report having had a period of significant psychological distress or incapacitation. That likelihood increases with the number of chronic conditions reported by an individual; people dealing with 4 chronic conditions at once are 4.68 times more likely to report psychological issues than those without chronic conditions.
While such a study may seem self-evident to people dealing with Type 1 diabetes day-in and day-out, it’s yet another affirmation that if you are feeling overwhelmed by your condition or life, you should seek help.
BMI Cuts Honeymoon Period Short
A team of European researchers have found a connection between the initial progression of Type 1 diabetes and increased body mass in older children. The researchers found that children ages 10 to 18 who had a higher BMI (body mass index) score at the time of diagnosis experienced a quicker drop in insulin production than their peers with average or lower BMI scores. It should be noted, however, that researchers found no connection between BMI scores and insulin production for children younger than 10 or adults over 18 years of age. The findings were reported in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
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