Brittle Diabetes

Brittle Diabetes What is it? This essentially rare type of diabetes is that type which is hard to control since the swings in blood sugar are unpredictable; ranging from extremely high to extremely low.

This problem occurs sometimes because there are other problems with the absorption of insulin by the body or else the person may have several types of hormonal disturbances present such as malfunctions of the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism can cause hypoglycemic episodes with the blood sugars, for example.

Gastrointestinal problems are not uncommon in those with brittle diabetes. Stomach emptying, known as gastroparesis is a difficult situation when it comes to control of the blood sugar and the process of what insulin does in the body.

Stressful situations can cause upsetting swings in the blood sugar levels. Depression plays a factor as well in the stabilizing of the blood sugars in this type of diabetes.

Women tend to experience this type of unstable sugars much more often then men. The age group of diabetic people with this problem is usually between 15-35.

With this type of blood sugar control problem, your doctor needs to find the sources of problems that are behind it and work with these issues. An endocrinologist who is specialized in dealing with diabetic issues is best since this is their practicing field.

In some cases, people may need hospitalization in order to scale down the troubling issues and bring them under control. Some people may be selected to receive an islet transplant or even a pancreas transplant. While the outcome of this type of transplant holds a bright light of promise, there is a high potential of rejection, and as result, many immunosuppressive drugs will need to be taken. This venture is only recommended when all other forms of therapy are exhausted.