All are Hispanic. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to store sugar, starches and other food in tissues so that they are available when needed for energy production. Type 1 diabetes patients are insulin deficient. An autoimmune process has caused their bodies to stop making insulin. This usually occurs in children and young adults.
Affected individuals require insulin injections every day in order to survive.
Type 2 diabetes patients may take oral medications, insulin or control their high blood sugar level by means of diet. Girls are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than boys. Because they are less active, they are more apt to be overweight than boys. This can unmask the Type 2 diabetes. He added that a child's environment can contribute to the development of the disease.