Diabetes is a disorder where the body does not make enough of a hormone called insulin. Children with diabetes usually urinate a lot, drink a lot of fluids, and lose weight. Diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, childhood diabetes, juvenile diabetes, or type 1 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin in regular amounts and are treated differently. Insulin is a hormone produced by an organ in your body called the pancreas.
Blood carries the sugar to the body's cells for energy.
Insulin helps the sugar enter the cells and controls the level of sugar in the blood. In type 1 diabetes destruction of cells in the pancreas causes the pancreas to produce very little insulin. When there is not enough insulin in the body, the amount of sugar in the blood reaches very high levels. Too much sugar in the body can cause many serious problems. If the problems are not treated, they can be life-threatening.