Complications Treatment Research

The unfortunate truth: having type 1 diabetes increases your risk for additional health problems. Potential complications can develop over time, and are more likely if blood glucose levels aren’t diligently managed. But significant research has gone into treating and alleviating many of the complications of diabetes.

Complications often arise due to blood vessel damage, affecting different organs such as eyes and kidneys. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), roughly 25 percent of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) develop retinopathy (eye disease) and 20-40 percent of people with T1D develop nephropathy (kidney disease).

Complications do not know diabetes-type, as they affect both people living with type 1 and type 2—often in similar or identical ways—requiring similar or identical treatments. In order to make treatments more readily available for those with T1D as well as for those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), complications research is increasingly being done with trials including both cohorts.

To learn more about all the great T1D research being funded by JDRF, visit their research and impact page here.