TYPE 1 DIABETES

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with this disease must inject themselves with insulin in order to stay alive. They must carefully monitor their blood sugar, and also balance their food intake and exercise. Long-term complications of type 1 diabetes include disabling or even life-threatening organ damage, including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage.

More than one million Americans have type 1 diabetes, and the worldwide incidence of the disease is growing with the greatest increase in children under five-years-old. The disease accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed diabetes in the United States.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, usually occurs in children or young adults and is especially prevalent among people of Northern European heritage. Additionally, family members of someone who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are 15 times more likely to develop the disease themselves.