May 2, 2005
Other
Question from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA:
My son will be six on May 25, 2005. He is type 1 with no pancreatic function whatsoever. He was diagnosed with a blood sugar of 1010 mg/dl [56.1 mmol/L] when 16 months old. He is doing well now. If his pancreas stays in him, won’t it eventually die off and, therefore, cause an infection and/or complicate/compromise his condition and routine with his blood sugars, general health and insulin intake? What are the chances of this happening?
Answer:
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks itself, in this case the beta cells in the islets in the pancreas. So, there is no further damage to the pancreas that takes place and no need to do any other evaluations or surgery. The digestive part of the pancreas called the exocrine pancreas, under such circumstances, usually works just fine and does not get involved with this inflammatory process. So, there is no need to worry.
SB
