Type 1 diabetes is a condition characterized by high levels of sugar or glucose in the blood. Different from type 2 diabetes which occurs due to insulin resistance or because the body's cells become immune or unresponsive to insulin, type 1 diabetes occurs when the body produces less or no insulin at all. As a result, type 1 diabetics require additional insulin from the outside.
Normally, blood sugar levels are controlled by the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. When there is disease in the pancreas, the hormone insulin it produces can be disrupted. When food that enters the body is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin will bind to glucose in the blood and carry it into the cells to be converted into energy. However, in diabetics, the body cannot process glucose into energy. This condition occurs because there is no insulin to bring glucose into the cells. As a result, glucose will accumulate in the blood.
Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes. It is known that there are only 10 percent of people with type 1 diabetes of all cases of diabetes worldwide. Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in children.