What is juvenile diabetes?

Juvenile Diabetes is the older, common name for Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus. It is often now referred to as Type 1 Diabetes.

The CDC says:
Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. This form of diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, although disease onset can occur at any age. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

type 1 diabetes that you develop when you are young usually pre-teens now they just call it insulin dependent diabetes, but 12 years ago I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and I still call it that.

When diabetes appears in children, because of total inability of the pancreatic gland to produce insulin, it is labeled as juvenile or Type I diabetes or IDDM (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus). The cause is generally unknown; however some times it may be due to infections, autoimmune diseases, or some environmental factors, etc. As the name IDDM suggests, the person remains insulin dependent throughout the life.

OK the easy description is the autoimmune system that kills infection gets the message that your pancreas is bad so it attacks it and kills the k cells. Well k cells make insulin and you need insulin to help open the glucose and turn it into energy. Without the insulin you can not open the glucose and use it for energy so you go on insulin shots because you are type 1 juvenile diabetic which occurs up to the age of 20 years old. Hope that helps. I have been telling kids about it for 11 years.

An autoimmune condition where the islet (insulin producing) cells of the pancress are killed/rendered ineffective. After the cells die, sugar levels in the body rise, you feel like crap, and eventually get diagnosed with type I diabetes. A person with type I diabetes has to have insulin, the disease cannot be controlled with diet and excersize alone. The name "juvenile" is a little bit misleading, since adults in their 50's and beyond have been diagnosed. It is NOT associated with eating too much sugar or being fat.