Juvenile Diabetes

What Is Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which your immune system destroys insulin-making cells in your pancreas. These are called beta cells. The condition is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes.

A condition called secondary diabetes is like type 1, but your beta cells are wiped out by something else, like a disease or an injury to your pancreas, rather than by your immune system.

Both of these are different from type 2 diabetes, in which your body doesn’t respond to insulin the way it should.

Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms

Signs are often subtle, but they can become severe. They include:

• Extreme thirst
• Increased hunger (especially after eating)
• Dry mouth
• Upset stomach and vomiting
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss, even though you’re eating and feel hungry
• Fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Heavy, labored breathing (your doctor may call this Kussmaul respiration)
• Frequent infections of your skin, urinary tract, or vagina
• Crankiness or mood changes
• Bedwetting in a child who’s been dry at night

Signs of an emergency with type 1 diabetes include:

• Shaking and confusion
• Rapid breathing
• Fruity smell to your breath
• Belly pain
• Loss of consciousness (rare)