Type 1 Diabetes Flashcards
7 cards from real Diabetes practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Type 1 Diabetes flashcards as text
A teenager with Type 1 diabetes has a blood glucose of 400 mg/dL with large ketones but no vomiting. What is the most appropriate initial management?
Answer: Extra bolus of rapid-acting insulin and increased fluid intake at home
For sick-day management without vomiting, supplemental rapid-acting insulin plus oral hydration is appropriate; hospital care is needed if vomiting or severe symptoms develop.
Which pancreatic cell type is specifically destroyed in Type 1 diabetes?
Answer: Beta cells (insulin-producing)
Type 1 diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-secreting beta cells in the islets of Langerhans, leading to absolute insulin deficiency.
What does the 'insulin sensitivity factor' (correction factor) represent in Type 1 diabetes?
Answer: How many mg/dL one unit of insulin will lower blood glucose
The insulin sensitivity factor (e.g., 1 unit lowers glucose by 50 mg/dL) is used to calculate correction doses when blood glucose is above target.
Which pattern of blood glucose readings suggests the dawn phenomenon rather than the Somogyi effect?
Answer: Steady rise in glucose from ~3 AM without preceding hypoglycemia
The dawn phenomenon is a morning hyperglycemia caused by counter-regulatory hormone surges (growth hormone, cortisol) in the early morning without preceding nocturnal hypoglycemia.
What is the significance of C-peptide measurement in a patient suspected of having Type 1 diabetes?
Answer: Low or absent C-peptide confirms minimal endogenous insulin production
C-peptide is co-secreted with insulin in equal amounts; low or undetectable C-peptide confirms absent endogenous insulin production consistent with Type 1 diabetes.
Which eye complication requires urgent ophthalmology referral in a patient with Type 1 diabetes?
Answer: Proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy involves new blood vessel formation (neovascularization) that can cause vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment, requiring urgent treatment.
A patient with Type 1 diabetes is unconscious from hypoglycemia and cannot swallow. What is the correct treatment?
Answer: Administer 1 mg glucagon IM or intranasal glucagon
For an unconscious hypoglycemic patient who cannot swallow, intramuscular or intranasal glucagon is the appropriate prehospital treatment to raise blood glucose.