Nursing Teaching on Pathophysiology of Type 1 Diabetes

 Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on the pathophysiology of type 1 diabetes as follows:

  1. In Type I diabetes, body’s own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas.
  2. As the beta cells are damaged, this will lead to complete insulin deficiency.
  3. So, Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, where the patient will have anti insulin or anti-islet cell antibodies present in blood.
  4. Type 1 diabetes always requires insulin therapy or insulin supplementation and will not respond to insulin-stimulating oral drugs, as the beta cells that produce the insulin are already damaged.
  5. This may also be associated with other autoimmune disorders, such as, hypothyroidism.