"Scientists have discovered why type 1 diabetes is more severe and aggressive when it develops in young children. Type 1 is caused by the immune system attacking cells in the pancreas that control blood sugar levels. The research team showed the pancreas was still developing in childhood, particularly under the age of seven, making it far more vulnerable to damage."
""She went from being a very happy one-year-old, who would go to nursery and dance and sing, to almost dying in less than 48 hours," says dad Gareth. "The diagnosis remains the worst part of our life.Suddenly everything we took for granted was 10-20 times harder," he says. Nye family The Nye family had to adapt quickly - keeping on top of everything Gracie had to eat or drink, checking blood sugar levels and giving the hormone insulin"
Pancreatic beta cells continue developing through childhood, with significant maturation still occurring under the age of seven. Immature beta cells are more vulnerable to immune-system attack, producing a more severe and aggressive form of type 1 diabetes when onset occurs in young children. Early-onset diabetes can escalate rapidly and requires immediate management with blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery. New drugs that temporarily protect or delay immune attack could buy time for the pancreas to mature, potentially slowing disease progression. Type 1 diabetes affects about 400,000 people in the UK and can demand urgent, life-saving treatment.
Read at www.bbc.com
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