What Is Type 1 Diabetes?

There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Each type causes high blood sugar levels in a different way.
In type 1 diabetes (which used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes), the pancreas can't make insulin. That's because — for some reason doctors don't completely understand — the body's immune system attacked the pancreas and destroyed the cells that make insulin.
When a person has type 1 diabetes, the body is still able to get glucose from food, but the lack of insulin means that glucose can't get into the cells where it's needed. So the glucose stays in the blood. This makes the blood sugar level very high and causes health problems.
Once a person has type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can't ever make insulin again. To fix this problem, someone who has type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin through regular shots or an insulin pump.

Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still makes insulin. But the insulin doesn't work in the body like it should and blood sugar levels get too high.

What Causes Type 1 Diabetes?

No one knows for sure what causes type 1 diabetes, but scientists think it has something to do with genes. Genes are like instructions for how the body should look and work that are passed on by parents to their kids. But just getting the genes for diabetes isn't usually enough. In most cases, something else has to happen — like getting a virus infection — for a person to get type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented. Doctors can't even tell who will get it and who won't.

How Do People Know if They Have It?

People can have diabetes without knowing it because the symptoms aren't always obvious and they can take a long time to develop. Type 1 diabetes may come on gradually or suddenly.
When a person first has type 1 diabetes, he or she may:
pee a lot because the body tries to get rid of the extra blood sugar by passing it out of the body in the urine
drink a lot to make up for all that peeing
eat a lot because the body is hungry for the energy it can't get from sugar
lose weight because the body starts to use fat and muscle for fuel
feel tired all the time
Also, girls who have developed diabetes are more likely to get vaginal yeast infections before they're diagnosed and treated.
If these early symptoms of diabetes aren't recognized and treatment isn't started, chemicals can build up in the blood and cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing problems, and even loss of consciousness. Doctors call this diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA.
There's good news, though — getting treatment can control or stop these diabetes symptoms from happening and reduce the risk of long-term problems. Doctors can say for sure if a person has diabetes by testing urine and blood samples for glucose. If the doctor suspects that a kid or teen has diabetes, he or she may send the person to see a pediatric endocrinologist (pronounced: pee-dee-ah-trik en-doh-krih-nah-leh-jist) — a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating children and teens living with diseases of the endocrine system, such as diabetes and growth problems.

Living With Type 1 Diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes have to pay a little more attention to what they're eating and doing than people who don't have diabetes. They need to:

check blood sugar levels a few times a day by testing a small blood sample
give themselves insulin injections or use an insulin pump
eat a balanced, healthy diet and pay special attention to the amounts of sugars and starches in the food they eat and the timing of their meals
get regular exercise to help control blood sugar levels and help avoid some of the long-term health problems that diabetes can cause, like heart disease
have regular checkups with doctors and other people on their diabetes health care team so they can stay healthy and get treatment for any diabetes problems
Sometimes people who have diabetes feel different from their friends because they need to take insulin, think about how they eat, and control their blood sugar levels every day. And some people with diabetes want to deny that they even have it. They might hope that if they ignore diabetes, it will just go away. They may feel angry, depressed, helpless, or that their parents are constantly in their faces about their diabetes management.
If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, it's normal to feel like your world has been turned upside down. Fortunately, your doctor or diabetes care team is there to provide answers and support. Don't hesitate to ask your doctors, dietitian, and other health professionals for advice and tips. There are also support groups where you can talk about your feelings and find out how other people cope with the disease.
Diabetes brings challenges, of course. But people with diabetes play sports, travel, date, go to school, and work just like their friends. There are thousands of teens with diabetes, all learning to handle the same challenges.

Diabetes Treatment Basics

The first thing to know about when it comes to treating diabetes is blood glucose levels. The blood glucose level is the amount of glucose in a person's blood. Glucose is a sugar that comes from the foods we eat, and it's also formed and stored inside the body. It's the main source of energy for the cells of the body, and it's carried to each cell through the blood. Glucose gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin (pronounced: in-suh-lin).
So how do blood glucose levels relate to type 1 diabetes? People with type 1 diabetes can no longer produce insulin. This means that glucose stays in the bloodstream and doesn't get into the cells, causing blood glucose levels to go too high. High blood sugar levels can make people with type 1 diabetes feel sick, so a treatment plan for a person with type 1 diabetes involves keeping their blood sugar levels within a healthy range, while making sure they grow and develop normally. To do that, people with type 1 diabetes need to:
take insulin every day
eat a healthy, balanced diet and stick to a diabetes meal plan
check their blood sugar levels several times a day
get regular physical activity
Following the treatment plan can help a person stay healthy, but it's not a cure for diabetes. Right now, there's no cure for diabetes, so people with type 1 diabetes will need treatment for the rest of their lives. The good news is that sticking to the plan can help people feel healthy and avoid diabetes problems later.

Take Insulin Every Day

People who have type 1 diabetes must take insulin as part of their treatment. Because their bodies can't make insulin anymore, they need to get the right amount of insulin to keep their blood sugar levels into a healthy range.

The only way to get insulin into the body right now is by injection with a needle or with an insulin pump. If a person tried to take insulin as a pill, the acids and digestive juices in the stomach and intestines would break down the medicine, and it wouldn't work. Luckily, these days insulin shots hardly hurt at all, thanks to smaller needles.

There are different kinds of insulin for different purposes. Unless they're using an insulin pump, most people with type 1 diabetes need more than one shot of insulin a day to keep blood sugar levels under control. Your doctor will figure out how much insulin you need based on your size and daily schedule. As you grow and change, the amount of insulin you will need to take can change, too.

Once you've had your insulin injection, you can't stop the medicine from working. If you take an insulin shot but forget to eat, your blood sugar levels can get too low. So try to avoid skipping meals or snacks. If your parents remind you to eat when you take your insulin, it's probably because they worry about you, not because they're trying to nag you!

Your diabetes health care team will teach you how and when to give yourself insulin shots.

Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet

People with type 1 diabetes have to pay a little more attention to their meals and snacks than people who don't have diabetes. They need to eat a balanced, healthy diet and pay closer attention to what they eat and when they eat it.
In addition to eating nutritious foods, people with diabetes also have to balance the food they eat with the amount of insulin they take and their activity level. That's because eating some foods will cause blood sugar levels to go up more than others, whereas insulin and exercise will make blood sugar go down. How much the blood sugar level goes up after eating depends on the type of nutrients the food contains.
The three main types of nutrients found in foods are carbohydrates (pronounced: kar-bo-hi-drates and also sometimes called carbs), proteins, and fats, which all provide energy in the form of calories. Foods containing carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to go up the most. Foods that contain mostly protein and/or fat don't affect blood sugar levels as much. Our bodies need all of these nutrients — in different amounts — to function normally.
As part of your diabetes treatment, you and the diabetes health care team will create a written diabetes meal plan. This meal plan will include foods with all of the essential nutrients. Meal plans typically consist of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with scheduled between-meal snacks. The diabetes meal plan won't tell you specific foods to eat, but it will guide you in selecting choices from the basic food groups and help you eat nutritious, balanced meals. Each meal and snack in the plan contains a certain amount of carbohydrates, which works with the types and amount of insulin you take.
Your meal plan is made just for you, based on your age, activity level, schedule, and food likes and dislikes. It should also be flexible so you know how to handle diabetes in special situations like at parties and on holidays. Following your meal plan should make it easier to keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
In addition to giving you some ideas about what to eat, your diabetes meal plan may also recommend limiting foods that contain lots of fat or calories, and that don't contain vitamins and minerals. Everyone who eats a healthy diet should limit these foods anyway, because eating too much of them can lead to too much weight gain or long-term health problems like heart disease.

Check Blood Sugar Levels

Checking your blood sugar levels is another part of your diabetes treatment plan. It lets you know how well the other parts of your treatment — like your insulin injections and meal plan — are working.
By keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range, you'll feel better and reduce the risk that you'll develop diabetes problems later. Testing your blood sugar level is the only way to know how you are doing with your diabetes control.
Your diabetes health care team will let you know what your blood sugar levels should be and when to test. In general, people with type 1 diabetes should test blood sugar levels with a blood glucose meter at least twice a day, but preferably three or four times a day.
A blood glucose meter tells you what your blood sugar level is at the moment you test. Your doctor may also send you for another type of blood sugar test that tells you how your blood sugar levels have been for the few months before the test.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise is also an important part of diabetes treatment. Regular physical activity helps keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range. It can also reduce the risk of other health problems that people with diabetes may be more likely to get, like heart disease and cancer.
Most types of exercise are great for people with type 1 diabetes — from walking the dog or riding a bike to playing team sports. Just be sure that you exercise every day to get the most benefits.
You can talk to your diabetes health care team about planning your exercise along with your meals and insulin. They'll offer specific suggestions to help you get ready for exercise or join a sport and give you written instructions to help you respond to any diabetes problems that may occur during exercise, like hypoglycemia (pronounced: hi-po-gly-see-me-uh) (low blood sugar), or hyperglycemia (pronounced: hi-per-gly-see-me-uh) (high blood sugar).

Putting It All Together

Treating and managing diabetes may seem overwhelming at times. But your diabetes health care team is there for you. Your diabetes management plan should be easy to understand, detailed, and written down for easy reference.

In addition to the diabetes treatments mentioned above, you may also hear about alternative treatments for diabetes, such as herbal remedies and vitamin or mineral supplements. These practices can be risky, so get the facts by talking to your diabetes health care team.