Before reading: Nick is OK!!
Interviews/Articles regarding Nick and Diabetes.
When Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2005, the first thing he asked his doctor was, “Am I going to die?”
The vocalist, guitarist, drummer and youngest member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, lost 15 pounds in two weeks, was drinking 20 to 30 bottles of water per day and had an uncharacteristically bad attitude.
“I’m a pretty nice guy,” said 14-year-old Jonas, of his normal disposition.
Type 1 diabetes, which usually affects children and young adults, occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
Tween-age fans of the curly haired star can breathe a sigh of relief — he’s not going to die. But, the diagnosis did mean Jonas would have to learn to control his diabetes with up to 10 insulin injections per day — not easy for someone touring the country and Europe with his siblings, Kevin, 19, and Joe, 17.
“On the road, it’s a little harder than it would be at home,” Jonas explained during a recent phone interview from California, where he’s putting the finishing touches on the group’s new CD. “I’d be in the back of the van trying to take a shot with people around. It’s difficult, but you learn how to do it.”
But all that’s changed since Jonas began using the OmniPod Insulin Management System, a small, disposable self-adhering pod pump worn on the skin that continually delivers insulin without the use of needles for up to three days.
Developed by Bedford, Mass.-based Insulet Corporation, OmniPod uses a tiny flexible tube called a cannula inserted 6.5 mm beneath the skin to administer the insulin. Each pod holds up to 200 units of insulin.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus (IPA pronunciation: [da???bitiz], sometimes [?da???bit?s]) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and other signs, as distinct from a single illness or condition. The World Health Organization recognizes three main forms of diabetes mellitus: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (occurring during pregnancy),[1] which have similar signs, symptoms, and consequences, but different causes and population distributions. Ultimately, all forms are due to the beta cells of the pancreas being unable to produce sufficient insulin to prevent hyperglycemia.[2] Type 1 is usually due to autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin. Type 2 is characterized by tissue-wide insulin resistance and varies widely; it sometimes progresses to loss of beta cell function. Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes, in that it involves insulin resistance; the hormones of pregnancy cause insulin resistance in those women genetically predisposed to developing this condition.
Types 1 and 2 are incurable chronic conditions, but have been treatable since insulin became medically available in 1921, and today are usually managed with a combination of dietary treatment, tablets (in type 2) and, frequently, insulin supplementation. Gestational diabetes typically resolves with delivery.
Diabetes can cause many complications. Acute complications (hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma) may occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk), chronic renal failure (diabetic nephropathy is the main cause of dialysis in developed world adults), retinal damage (which can lead to blindness and is the most significant cause of adult blindness in the non-elderly in the developed world), nerve damage (of several kinds), and microvascular damage, which may cause erectile dysfunction (impotence) and poor healing. Poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, can lead to gangrene which can require amputation — the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in adults in the developed world. Adequate treatment of diabetes, as well as increased emphasis on blood pressure control and lifestyle factors (such as not smoking and keeping a healthy body weight), may improve the risk profile of most aforementioned complications.