How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes (with Pictures), Easy Ways to Test for Diabetes at Home (with

How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes

Updated: May 2, 2019

This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. Dr. Marusinec is a Board Certified Pediatrician in Wisconsin. She received her M. D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1995.

There are 34 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Juvenile diabetes, now known as Type 1 diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), is a disease in which the pancreas, which normally produces insulin, stops producing insulin. Insulin is important because it's a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood and helps to transfer the glucose to your cells for energy. If your body isn't producing insulin, this means that the glucose stays in your blood and your blood sugar level can become too high, making you sick. Though there is no cure for Type 1 diabetes, you can learn to effectively manage your diabetes through a combination of insulin therapy, lifestyle changes, and education about diabetes.