Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children or young adults, although it can occur at any age. Roughly 3% of children and adolescents have diabetes.

The onset of type 1 diabetes is often sudden and can include the following symptoms:

• Abnormal thirst and a dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Extreme tiredness/lack of energy
• Sudden weight loss
• Slow-healing wounds
• Recurrent infections
• Blurred vision

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the beta cells found in the pancreas—the cells that create insulin. As a result, the body makes very little or no insulin of its own.

A person with type 1 diabetes supplies their body with insulin in one of the following ways:

• Insulin pen
• Injections with a syringe

Insulin therapy along with following a healthy meal-plan, regular physical activity and frequently blood sugar testing are important in management of type 1 diabetes.