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Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, affects about 10 percent of people with diabetes. It’s more common in younger people, but it can be diagnosed at any age. In people with type 1, the pancreas no longer makes insulin. Without insulin to help move glucose into the cells, glucose builds up in the blood and causes high blood glucose levels. Although the exact cause is unknown, it is believed that a virus, infection or genetic factor may cause the body to attack the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This is called an autoimmune response.

Comparison of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 Type 2
  • usually a sudden onset
  • unexplained rapid weight loss
  • increase in thirst and urination
  • increase in appetite
  • very tired or fatigued
  • nausea or vomiting
  • must take insulin injections or use an insulin pump
  • may have no symptoms at all
  • gradual onset
  • increase in thirst and urination
  • increase in appetite
  • fatigue
  • slow-healing cuts
  • frequent infections
  • blurred vision
  • may be treated with meal planning, increase in activity level, medication, insulin or a combination of these

  • The Diabetes-Celiac Disease Link

    New research from the U.K. shows that type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, both autoimmune disorders, share many common genetic mutations.

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  • Exercise Your Right to Health

    Researchers in the United Kingdom are using under-the-skin sensors on 30 people with type 1 diabetes to study the impact of exercise, diet and insulin intake on blood glucose levels.

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  • No Bones About It

    Oh, my creaking bones! That familiar phrase, associated with the rigors of growing old, actually is about half valid. After around age 30, your body’s bones begin to gradually lose strength and density.

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  • Playing by the Rules

    Mike Murray knows all about following the rules. He should — he’s the assistant chief of police for Versailles, Ky. But long before he joined the force, Murray had to follow the rules dictated by diabetes.

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  • On Pens and Needles

    Patient A has type 1 diabetes and has been injecting himself with insulin every day since 1970. Patient B, who also has type 1, has given himself daily injections for more than 50 years. Both started out using a syringe and vial

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  • I Decide to Let My Loved Ones Know Their Risk

    Does diabetes really run in families? Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes run in families, but the connection is much stronger with type 2 diabetes.

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  • Measuring Blood Sugar Goes High Tech

    Monitoring the body’s blood sugar (glucose) levels is a fact of daily life for people with diabetes. That routine certainly affects those with type 1 diabetes, whose bodies don’t produce insulin so they must regularly inject themselves with the vital hormone.

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  • Rebirth of Beta

    In type 1 diabetes, insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed by the immune system, leading the pancreas to produce little or no insulin.

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  • I Decide to Tell My Story About Fighting Diabetes

    Thriving with diabetes requires work, self-awareness and daily commitment. But the flip side is that you can thrive — this is one disease that responds beautifully to self-care.

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  • Recipe for Hope

    In 1993, while he was a 27-year-old student at New York City’s renowned Culinary Institute of America, Chris Smith began feeling tired all the time and losing weight, was constantly thirsty, and had regular and severe stomach cramps.

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