Juvenile diabetes is a chronic disorder caused by the body?s inability to manage sugar or glucose and store it properly to be used as fuel. When the body can?t efficiently break down glucose to be absorbed by the cells, it stays in the blood and causes health problems. An estimated one hundred and twenty individuals worldwide have diabetes, of which, approximately 3 percent have juvenile diabetes. It is projected that juvenile diabetes affects one in every 7,000 children per year. More cases reported concern individuals who are less than twenty years old.

Type 1 diabetes and juvenile diabetes are the same. The term juvenile refers to the onset of the disorder which begins in childhood. Children who are diagnosed to have juvenile diabetes depend on insulin to equip their body with the necessary insulin levels to convert food into energy. Research conducted by medical practitioners and scientists indicate that juvenile diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders are characterized by the breakdown of the body?s immune system, which directs the immune response of the body toward fighting its own defenses. With juvenile diabetes, it is believed that the body?s beta cells in Isles of Langerhans of the pancreas are destroyed automatically, hindering sufficient insulin production.

Administering insulin shots as many as five times a day to properly regulate glucose in the body may treat juvenile diabetes. Insulin does not cure diabetes, it helps in managing the blood sugar levels of diabetics to improve their lives. Years ago, being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes would have meant a quick death sentence. The discovery and use of insulin in the early 1920?s benefited countless people diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and is widely used now. Aside from insulin shots, there are also individuals who need to undergo constant fluid therapy to balance the electrolyte level in the blood that results from excessive urination.

A healthy and well-planned diet for those with juvenile diabetes is also very important to properly manage the disorder.