Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes in children is an autoimmune disease that is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease that prevents the pancreas from making insulin.
Insulin is an important hormone that regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. Under normal circumstances, insulin functions in the following steps:
- Your body breaks down the food you eat into glucose (sugar), which is your body’s main source of energy.
- Glucose enters your bloodstream, which signals your pancreas to release insulin.
- Insulin helps glucose in your blood enter your muscle, fat and liver cells so they can use it for energy or store it for later use.
When glucose enters your cells and the levels in your bloodstream decrease, it signals your pancreas to stop producing insulin.
If you don’t have enough insulin, too much sugar builds up in your blood, causing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and your body can’t use the food you eat for energy. This can lead to serious health problems or even death if it’s not treated. People with Type 1 diabetes need synthetic insulin every day in order to live and be healthy.
Type 1 diabetes was previously known as juvenile diabetes and/or insulin-dependent diabetes.
See the links below for additional information which is intended to raise awareness about this disease.
(information obtained from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21500-type-1-diabetes)
