2014 opens with the good news that awareness of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes amongst parents has grown by 50% through the past year.
The news follows a survey by Ipsos Mori, carried out on behalf of the diabetes charity, Diabetes UK. 925 parents were questioned in the survey and the results showed that 1 in 7 of respondents (14%) were aware of all four of the main symptoms of type 1 diabetes. A survey carried out earlier in 2013 had shown that just 1 in 11 (9%) of respondents had known all four main symptoms.
The 4 main symptoms of type 1 diabetes, which have been coined the 4Ts of type 1 diabetes are:
A frequent need to visit the toilet
Having constant, or a difficult to quench thirst
Being tired through the day
Becoming noticeably thinner for no apparent reason
Type 1 diabetes is a condition which involves the body’s immune system incorrectly targeting healthy insulin producing cells in the pancreas for destruction. This autoimmune response can come on quickly, often between a matter of weeks or days and particularly within children, which can lead to an immediately dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis if type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed quickly enough.
The survey showed that awareness of the four main symptoms, individually were as follows:
Tiredness 63%
Excessive thirst 61%
Increased need to urinate 42%
Unexplained weight loss 30%
