
- Disease Name: Diabetes
- Discovery Date: 1899
- Discovery by: Joseph von Mering
- Disease Types: Type-1 and Type-2
- Treatment Methods: Artificial Insulin and a Healthy Diet
- Prevention Methods: A Healthy and Natural Diet
23 Diabetes Facts for Kids
- Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where the body can’t control blood sugar levels.
- Diabetes is caused by the lack of insulin production in the pancreas or the lack of response of cells to insulin.
- The official medical term for someone with diabetes is diabetes mellitus (DM).
- A person is diagnosed with diabetes when they consistently have high blood sugar levels.
- There are some common symptoms someone with diabetes will experience, like frequent urination (Polyuria), increased thirst (Polydipsia) and increased hunger (Polyphagia).
- There are three types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
- Type 1 diabetes is caused by a pancreas that doesn’t produced enough insulin.
- Type 2 diabetes is caused by cells that don’t respond to insulin, also known as insulin resistance.
- Gestational diabetes is caused by high blood sugar in pregnant women.
- A person can develop type 1 diabetes due to genetics (family history of diabetes). There is some valid research suggesting environmental factors could cause type 1 diabetes.
- A person can develop type 2 diabetes if they’re obese, aren’t active (exercise), have an unhealthy diet and/or have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
- A woman can only develop gestational diabetes while pregnant and is most commonly development during the last three months of a pregnancy.
- A person is considered to have prediabetes if they have elevated blood sugar levels, but they don’t fall into the range to be considered diabetes mellitus.
- The methods to treat diabetes depends on which type you have.
- Type 1 diabetes is treated by monitoring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin to control your blood sugar.
- Type 2 diabetes is treated with a healthier lifestyle. A healthy diet and exercise can keep the situation under control. In severe cases, oral medication can be used to treat type 2 diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes is treated with a healthier diet and in some cases may require insulin injections.
- People who fail to proper treat their diabetes diagnosis can have serious consequences, including death.
- Failing to treat diabetes can result in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, cognitive impairment, eye, damage, foot ulcers, nerve damage and/or a stroke.
- According to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2019 around 463 million people have diabetes worldwide. That means about 8.8% of the total 2019 world population had some form of diabetes.
- According to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2019 around 4.2 million people died due to complications related to diabetes.
- According to the World Health Organization, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death worldwide.
- According to the American Diabetes Association, the economic cost of diabetes in the United States was almost $327 billion in 2017.
Pictures Related to Diabetes

A picture of a diabetes blood sugar testing device and insulin injector.

A picture of a woman getting an external blood sugar testing device.

A picture of a man with diabetes testing his blood sugar level.
Additional Resources on Diabetes
- Diabetes Basics – Learn about the basics of diabetes on the U.S. CDC website.
- Types of Diabetes – Discover the different types of diabetes on the University of California website.
- Diabetes Treatments – Find the different types of treatments for diabetes on the WebMD website.
- Diabetes – Wikipedia – Read more about cancer on the Wikipedia website.