Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that affects your body’s ability to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels—there are various types of diabetes, which you can read more about in our other diabetes condition centers. This type of diabetes is often referred to as juvenile diabetes, because of its tendency to develop during childhood or adolescence, type 1 diabetes can actually develop at any age. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that allows for the movement of sugar (food) into the body’s cells, resulting in dangerously high levels of glucose in the blood that the body cannot convert into energy. This is thought to be caused by the body’s immune cells mistakenly attacking and destroying the insulin-producing Islet cells of the pancreas, though research on the exact cause is still ongoing.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation reports that as many as three million American have type 1 diabetes. The number of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S. each year is more than 15,000. Of the people in the U.S. who are living with type 1 diabetes, 85% are adults and 15% are children. The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in children and teens between 2001 and 2009 increased by 23%.

What Causes Juvenile Diabetes

Risk Factors For Juvenile Diabetes

Diagnosing Juvenile Diabetes

Symptoms of Juvenile Diabetes

Prognosis

Living With Juvenile Diabetes

Screening

Prevention

Common Treatment

Complementary and Alternative Treatment

Care Guide

When To Contact A Doctor

Questions For Your Doctor

Questions For A Doctor

Juvenile Diabetes