Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, is commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents. It is considered an autoimmune disorder in which the body's own immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, destroying them or damaging them sufficiently to reduce or eliminate insulin production.

Type 1 is treated with insulin replacement therapy, carbohydrate counting and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels using glucometers. Insulin is delivered subcutaneously, either by injection or through an insulin pump, which provides a continuous infusion of basal insulin and the capability to program bolus doses of insulin as needed at meal times.

Insulin is not a medicine; it's a hormone that must be replaced continuously to stay healthy and to stay alive.

The cause of Type 1 diabetes is still unknown. Evidence suggests that genetics, together with an environmental trigger such as a viral infection, initiates the autoimmune attack.

Type 1 diabetes is not currently curable.

What's the difference between Type 1 and Type 2? FIND OUT >>>