Type 1 diabetes explained

TYPE 1 DIABETES EXPLAINED:

* More than 120,000 Australians have the disease;

* It typically strikes young people, with the disease in children being twice as common as it was 20 years ago;

* It's an autoimmune disease which destroys the ability to produce insulin, vital for life;

* It requires a daily regime of multiple injections or continuous infusion of insulin through a pump, as well as six to eight finger-prick blood tests, to stay alive;

* Going on a diet or cutting down on sugar doesn't stop it;

* Researchers are trying to understand the complicated mix of genetic and environmental factors that may cause or trigger the disease.

(Source: JDRF, the world's largest not-for-profit supporter of type 1 diabetes research globally.)