What is Type 1 diabetes?

Most people who are diagnosed with diabetes during their childhood or teenage years have Type 1 diabetes. The cells in their pancreas that produce insulin have been destroyed by a process called “autoimmunity” (when the body’s cells attack each other). This eventually leads to a total loss of insulin production. Without insulin, blood glucose rises to potentially fatal levels. Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent, which means the condition must be treated with insulin therapy.