Type 1 DM, or type 1 diabetes mellitus, is a very serious form of diabetes. People who have it must monitor and control their blood sugar levels carefully, or they may lapse into diabetic coma, seizure, or even die. Normally type 1 DM begins in childhood, which is why it used to be called juvenile diabetes, but truly it can develop at any age.

Type 1 DM is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys its own cells. In type 1 DM the cells that are attacked are pancreatic beta cells, which have the function of creating insulin. Insulin is a very important hormone. It transfers sugar (glucose) from the bloodstream and into the cells. The cells then convert the sugar into energy. The body cannot survive without insulin. Since a type 1 diabetic can no longer produce enough insulin, due to the …