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Type 1 Diabetes Complications
Type 1 diabetes related complications can include:
- eye disease, such as diabetic retinopathy
- nerve damage, such as diabetic neuropathy
- kidney disease, such as diabetic nephropathy
- heart disease and stroke, such as cardiovascular disease
Eye Disease
The early stage of diabetic retinopathy, known as "background" diabetic retinopathy, unfolds as the walls of the retina weaken from high blood sugar and high blood pressure, developing small, dot-like bulges, or "micro-aneurysms," which can leak fluid or blood into the surrounding tissue.
In the second, more destructive stage, called proliferative diabetic retinopathy, new blood vessels form on the retina in response to the damage. When called to the spot where damage occurred, the cells generate new blood vessels as part of the repair.
How JDRF research is helping:
JDRF-funded researchers, in partnership with ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, have identified an exciting new therapeutic target for diabetic retinopathy. In the animal-based study, researchers found that continuous administration of a product called ASP-440 resulted in a significant reduction of both retinopathy and macular edema in the animals. It was also found to be effective in lowering elevated blood pressure, a known cause of eye damage in diabetics.
Nerve Damage
Diabetic neuropathy is the medical name given to progressive damage to the nervous system caused by type 1 diabetes.
Diabetic neuropathy can lead to a loss of feeling in the hands and feet. Reduced circulation resulting from high blood glucose impairs normal wound healing in the extremities, so minor damage can linger and develop into permanent injury.
At the same time, neuropathy can cause severe pain in limbs that otherwise have reduced normal sensation.
How JDRF research is helping:
JDRF researchers are investigating possible causes of diabetic neuropathy and testing therapies that could alleviate its conditions. Scientists also are trying to block the blood vessel damage that leads to neuropathy (as well as other diabetic complications) and to promote blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) to speed wound healing.
Kidney Disease
Diabetic kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy is a slow deterioration of the kidneys and kidney function which, in more severe cases, can eventually result in kidney failure, also known as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD.
How JDRF research is helping:
There have been great strides made in developing drugs and other methods to slow the onset and progression of diabetic nephropathy. JDRF funded scientists are trying to discover more about the hereditary aspects of diabetic nephropathy, so that predicting who will develop it, and preventing that development, becomes easier.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Cardiovascular disease is a range of blood vessel system diseases that includes both stroke and heart attack. The two most common types of cardiovascular disease are coronary heart disease, caused by fatty deposits in the arteries that feed the heart, and hypertension, or high blood pressure.
How JDRF research is helping:
Rapidly emerging technologies, a new understanding of why and how complications develop, and innovative approaches to early detection and treatment are helping reduce the risk and severity of complications for people with type 1 diabetes. With new methods for detecting complications in their earliest stages and effective strategies for intervention, it is now possible to significantly slow down or delay the most serious consequences of diabetes-related complications.
Contribute to JDRF research
To help JDRF cure these type 1 diabetes complications, you can donate to type 1 diabetes online. No matter how large or small, your gift will help JDRF continue to move research from the laboratory through to a clinical reality for the 122,300 Australians currently living with type 1 diabetes.