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About Type 1 Diabetes
What is Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes develops when the body can no longer
produce adequate insulin, the hormone needed for cells
to convert glucose to energy. It is called an autoimmune
disease because the body’s own immune system destroys
the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Untreated,
type 1 diabetes is soon fatal. People with type 1 diabetes
need to take insulin artificially, either through injection
or with a device known as an insulin pump. Additional
information on this condition is available from the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Federation website (www.jdrf.org).
Cause
of Type 1 Diabetes
The cause of type 1 diabetes has been investigated for
several years. It is now believed that environmental
factors increase the risk of diabetes in people who
are genetically susceptible. If these environmental
factors could be identified and eliminated, it might
be possible to decrease the number of children who develop
type 1 diabetes.
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