About Type 1 Diabetes

Although type 1 diabetes develops most often in children and young adults (15,600 youth are diagnosed annually), the disease can be diagnosed at any age, and is more common in males than females (11.8% males vs. 10.8% females). Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is more common in Caucasians than in those of Latino, African American, or other non-Caucasian backgrounds.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas are destroyed and fail to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body's cells use glucose for energy. Blood glucose (or blood sugar) is manufactured from the food we eat (primarily carbohydrates) and by the liver. If glucose can't be absorbed by the cells, it builds up in the bloodstream instead. Untreated, the high blood sugars that result can be toxic to every system of the body, causing serious complications.

Reviewed by Janis Roszler, MSFT, RD, CDE, LD/N. 5/13