What is Type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes means your body can't make insulin at all or makes very little of it. This happens because your immune system starts attacking the only organ that produces insulin: the pancreas.

Mostly children and teenagers develop type 1 diabetes, though adults can get it too. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes. Less than 1 in every 10 people with diabetes has type 1.

Type 1 diabetes can cause serious health problems. See "How Diabetes Affects Your Health" for a list of these problems.

What can I do to prevent it?

Doctors still aren't sure why people get type 1 diabetes. They think it has a lot to do with your genes and family history. In other words, you're more likely to have type 1 diabetes if your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents had it.

If type 1 diabetes runs in your family, make sure you tell your doctor about it. Get screened for it regularly, and tell the rest of your family to do the same! Also, living a healthy life by eating right and exercising are great ways to lower your risk of developing diabetes.

How is it treated?

You must get insulin from a pump or injections in order to stay alive with type 1 diabetes.

Working with a doctor, keeping track of your blood sugar, eating right, and exercising are a few other important things you can do to stay healthy with type 1 diabetes. See "The 5 Keys to Living a Healthy Life with Diabetes" below for more information.

Other names for type 1 diabetes: insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes.

Did you Know? Is a series of health articles written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.