Diabetes Type 1

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

Type 1 diabetes happens most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age. Symptoms may include

• Being very thirsty
• Urinating often
• Feeling very hungry or tired
• Losing weight without trying
• Having sores that heal slowly
• Having dry, itchy skin
• Losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
• Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. If you do, you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life. A blood test called the A1C can check to see how well you are managing your diabetes.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Type 1 Diabetes (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Type 1 Diabetes Facts (JDRF)
• Type 1 Diabetes: What Is It? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Types of Diabetes (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Diabetes Type 1 Symptoms (American Diabetes Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

• A1C: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Blood Glucose Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes Tests & Diagnosis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Glucose in Urine Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ketones in Blood (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ketones in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Microalbumin Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Diabetes Medicines: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Islet Cell Transplantation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pancreas Transplantation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

• 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life (National Diabetes Education Program) Also in Spanish
• Changing Your Habits: Steps to Better Health (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - PDF
• Get to Know Your Diabetes Care Team (American Diabetes Association)
• Getting the Very Best Care for Your Diabetes (American Diabetes Association) - PDF
• Healthy Coping (American Association of Diabetes Educators)
• Living with Type 1 Diabetes (American Diabetes Association)
• Monitoring (American Association of Diabetes Educators)

Related Issues

• Causes of Diabetes (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes and Celiac Disease (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• Diabulimia (National Eating Disorders Association)
• Monogenic Diabetes (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
• Speak Up -- Diabetes: Five Ways to Be Active in Your Care at the Hospital (Joint Commission) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What People with Diabetes Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: type 1 diabetes (National Library of Medicine)
• Learn the Genetics of Diabetes (American Diabetes Association)

Videos and Tutorials

• Diabetes Movie (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Statistics and Research

• Diabetes in America, 3rd Edition (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Experimental Therapy Shows Promise for Type 1 Diabetes (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Recent Advances (in Diabetes Research) (American Diabetes Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Diabetes Distress, Depressive Symptoms, and Cardiovascular Health in Adults With Type...
• Article: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (Juvenile Diabetes) - A Review for the...
• Article: Six-Month Randomized, Multicenter Trial of Closed-Loop Control in Type 1 Diabetes.
• Diabetes Type 1 -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Diabetes: Glossary of Terms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Find an Expert

• American Diabetes Association
• Find a Diabetes Educator (American Association of Diabetes Educators)
• National Eating Disorders Association
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• NIDDK Information Clearinghouses (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Patient Handouts

• A1C test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes - low blood sugar - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes - tests and checkups (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes - when you are sick (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Diabetes and exercise (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Giving an insulin injection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Type 1 diabetes (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish