Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes, also known as Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a disorder of the body's immune system. Juvenile diabetes is diagnosed in children, teenagers and young adults.

The exact cause of juvenile diabetes (Type 1 diabetes) is still unclear. The common belief is that juvenile diabetes is caused due to an insult to the immune system. This can be either infectious or toxic, which in turn causes the autoimmune response to alter pancreatic protein, resulting in inadequate insulin production. Let's make one thing perfectly clear, this type of diabetes is not caused by obesity or by eating excessive sugar. Children diagnosed with diabetes will require insulin injections for survival.

The challenges of being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes can sometimes seem enormous. It can be tough to find a private place to monitor your glucose levels and inject yourself with insulin while at school, or just out and about with friends. Diet plays a very significant role in the management of juvenile diabetes, so forget the junk food at the mall or pigging out at a party. Eat smart and eat healthy, and insulin injections have to be timed with your meals. Sticking to a time schedule is very important, so forget sleeping in late, because your blood sugar levels can drop dangerously low during an extended snooze.

The use of an insulin pump to control juvenile diabetes, may be a more convenient way of administering insulin providing more freedom throughout the day. Once diagnosed, several injections of insulin will be needed a day, the diabetic pump uses a small needle inserted under the skin on the left side of the abdomen, the bloodstream absorbs a small, continuous dose of insulin throughout the day. One stick, more freedom.

It is possible, to stay on top of juvenile diabetes and still do most things a typical teenager does. Having juvenile diabetes makes you part of a team. Your doctor, dietitian, and family are all part of this team. As with any team the decisions you make affect all members of the team. Peer pressure will always play a significant role in the decisions that you make. Having diabetes requires you to be more disciplined and have more fore thought about your decisions. Always remember that you control juvenile diabetes, it does not control you.