Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a crucial hormone required for the body to regulate and use blood sugar.

The classic symptoms are frequent urination, increased thirst, constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. It's a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and frequently leads to lower limb amputation.

It's believed to affect somewhere between 11 and 22 million people - and the incidence is increasing.

Neither the cause of Type 1 diabetes nor the means to prevent it are known.

Source: World Health Organization

A number of possible theories of its cause(s) have been suggested, including genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, and exposure to antigens (harmful substances which cause the body to produce antibodies to counteract them).

Further info. at Wikipedia

Also see : Gestational diabetesplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigGestational diabetes

"Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance of various degrees that is first detected during pregnancy. GDM is detected through the screening of pregnant women for clinical risk factors and, among at-risk women, testing for abnormal glucose tolerance that is usually, but not invariably, mild and asymptomatic. GDM appears to result from the same broad spectrum of physiological and genetic abnormalities that characterize diabetes outside of pregnan…

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