Nearly 26 million people in the United States have diabetes. Surprisingly, 1.9 million Americans are diagnosed each year. Nearly 10% of the American population suffers from diabetes. This disease kills more Americans each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Around 215,000 people under the age of twenty suffer from diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. (1)Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the immune system kills the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. How insulin works is pretty simple. The pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream, then the insulin circulates allowing the sugar to enter the cells. This process reduces the amount of sugar in your blood. In type 1 diabetes, sugar cannot enter cells because there is no insulin available. Since sugar cannot reach cells, they begin to lack nutrients and other systems must provide energy for important bodily functions. As the sugar fails to reach the cells, high blood sugar develops and can cause many problems. Some of these problems are dehydration, weight loss, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and even body damage. (2) There are a few lifelong treatments for type 1 diabetes; These include taking insulin, exercising frequently, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthily, and monitoring your blood sugar. Some insulin options include rapid-acting insulin, long-acting insulin, and options in between. There are several ways to administer insulin. One thing you can do is use a needle and syringe. Another option is an insulin pen. The insulin pen looks like an ink pen, but the cartridge is filled with insulin. The ...... middle of document ......bmd.com/diabetes/guide/type-1-diabetes(3) Mayoclinic.org [Internet home page] available at: http:// www. mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/treatment/con-20019573(4) Mayoclinic.org [Internet home page] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type -2 -diabetes/basics/definition/con-20031902(5) Mayoclinic.org [Internet home page] available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/basics /symptoms/con -20031902(6) Mayoclinic.org [Internet home page] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/basics/complications/con-20031902(7) Diabetes.org [Internet home page] available at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html(8) Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [home page on the Internet] available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769972/#__sec4title