Your body changes most of the food you eat into a form of sugar (also called glucose). Insulin is a hormone that allows this sugar to enter all the cells of your body and be used as energy. A person who has type 1 diabetes can't make insulin. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood and can damage internal organs, the nervous system and blood vessels.
Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It is sometimes called juvenile diabetes because it is usually discovered in children and teenagers, but adults may also have it.
Your body changes most of the food you eat into a form of sugar (also called glucose). Insulin is a hormone that allows this sugar to enter all the cells of your body and be used as energy. A person who has type 1 diabetes can't make insulin. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood and can damage internal organs, the nervous system and blood vessels.
Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It is sometimes called juvenile diabetes because it is usually discovered in children and teenagers, but adults may also have it.