Health Issue of the Month

Type I Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells).

Normally, the body's immune system fights off foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. But for unknown reasons, in people with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks various cells in the body. This results in a complete deficiency of the insulin hormone.

Some people develop a type of diabetes – called secondary diabetes -- which is similar to type 1 diabetes, but the beta cells are not destroyed by the immune system but by some other factor, such as cystic fibrosis or pancreatic surgery.

Understanding Insulin

Normally the hormone insulin is secreted by the pancreas in low amounts. When you eat a meal, glucose (sugar) from food stimulates the pancreas to release insulin. The amount that is released is proportional to the amount that is required by the size of that particular meal.

Insulin's main role is to help move certain nutrients -- especially glucose -- into the cells of the body's tissues. Cells use sugars and other nutrients from meals as a source of energy to function.

The amount of sugar in the blood decreases once glucose enters the cells. Normally that signals the beta cells in the pancreas to lower the amount of insulin secreted so that you don't develop low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). But the destruction of the beta cells that occurs with type 1 diabetes throws the entire process into disarray.