Type 1 Diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5% of diabetes cases worldwide. However, type 1 diabetes is still the most common form of diabetes in children. Without insulin therapy, a person with type 1 diabetes will eventually die. In some countries, life expectancy for a child with type 1 diabetes is less than 1 year after diagnosis.

In developing countries where health care capacity is inadequate, type 1 diabetes can be a death sentence for a vulnerable child.