Introduction

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is too high. With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

Type 1 diabetes happens most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age. It is also called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes.

The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it is believed that genetic and environmental factors (possibly viruses) may be involved. The body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose to enter the cells of the body to provide energy.

When glucose cannot enter the cells, it builds up in the blood and the body's cells literally starve to death. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections and regularly monitor their blood sugar levels.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of diagnosed cases of diabetes. The risk of developing type 1 diabetes is higher than virtually all other severe chronic diseases of childhood. Peak incidence occurs during puberty, around 10 to 12 years of age in girls, and 12 to 14 years of age in boys.