My Independent Project is on Diabetes Mellitus, type1 Diabetes, or
juvenile-onset diabetes. No matter what you call it, its all the same. Your
pancreas has died and you have no other way to survive other than to inject
insulin multiple times a day. I chose this project because I always enjoy
learning more about the disease I got less than two years ago. Every year the
teams of scientists from the Joslin clinic develop new ways to live with
Diabetes. So far no one has invented a cure, but they are getting closer to
finding it every year. People with Type I diabetes don't produce insulin and
need regular shots of it to keep their blood glucose levels normal. Almost half
the people with this type of diabetes are age 20 and younger. That's why Type I
diabetes was once called juvenile-onset diabetes. But that name has been dropped
because Type I diabetes also strikes young adults. People with diabetes have to
give themselves shots multiple times throughout the day so they can monitor
their blood sugar levels because their bodies cant do it on their own. Type1
diabetes can cause different problems if it is not properly taken care of.
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar; sometimes called an insulin reaction, occurs
when blood sugar drops too low. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, occurs when
blood sugar is too high, and can be a sign that diabetes is not well controlled.
Ketoacidosis, or diabetic coma, is a very serious condition. This means there is
too much sugar in the urinary tract. It occurs if your blood sugars are very
high for a long period of time. This is fatal and can lead to future
complications.

Bibliography
1. http://www.jdfcure.com/NHAnnouncements5.htm Joslin Diabetes Foundation web
page 2. http://www.renkausa.com/type1.htm Renka/ diabetes Home Page 3. http://www.medical-library.org./
Medical Library Online Textbook 4. Dr. Elizabeth Wallach, Joslin Clinic for
Diabetes 5. Sondra Pozan